A Brighton café has been granted a drinks licence, enabling it to operate as a restaurant in the evenings.
Billies Café, in Hampton Place, will be able to serve alcohol until 10.30pm after its application for a licence was heard by a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel hearing.
The café’s owner Hani Abadi, 48, faced objections from neighbours who were concerned about another business in the area being permitted to sell alcohol.
Neighbour Jacky Millar has lived in Hampton Place for 40 years. She said that the community had a good relationship with Billies which had been on the corner of Upper North Street for decades.
But some felt that another premises with a drinks licence in a street with a restaurant at the bottom, the Hampton Arms next door and the Windmill further along the road was not balanced.
Labour councillor Alison Thomson, who represents Regency ward, spoke on behalf of an Upper North Street resident who had experienced anti-social behaviour in the area.
Mr Abadi, who had owned and operated Billies for 15 years, said that his intention was to operate a small restaurant where customers could only have alcohol with a meal.
The licensing panel that heard the application was made up of three councillors – Andrei Czolak, Ivan Lyons and Ollie Sykes.
The panel noted that the business was small, with only 22 covers and no outside space, and Mr Abadi had agreed to accept a 10.30pm closing time rather than 11pm as initially sought.
The council said in its decision letter: “There were extensive conditions proposed which included strict restaurant conditions.
“The applicant has run the café business for 15 years with no issues, was invested in the local community and was committed to managing the change in a responsible manner.
“Overall, the panel considers that this style of operation, with all the conditions proposed, is not likely to have a detrimental effect on the area or undermine the licensing objectives.”
