The owners of a pizza business hope that their business will be part of the revival of an arcade, helping to put an end to anti-social behaviour there.
Stefano Vittori, 36, the co-owner of Pommy’s Pizza, told a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel how Imperial Arcade was neglected but new businesses opening there would regenerate the area.
Pommy’s Pizza, at 12 Imperial Arcade, in Western Road, Brighton, opened in June and has applied for a licence to sell alcohol to customers at its premises from noon to 11pm.
The business is in the former Forfars shop, later rebranded Fresh.
Two neighbours objected to the application but Sussex Police and the council licensing team raised no objections.
Neither of the anonymous neighbours, whose details were redacted by the council, attended the licensing panel hearing today (Friday 25 July).
Since the business opened, Mr Vittori said that they had experienced some anti-social behaviour from street drinkers.
He said: “They are aggressive. We had them kicking our A-board in the last month, smashing it, coming inside, scaring people in the arcade – and people have left, especially when it is raining.
“We had proof of poo in the arcade in the morning so for us being there has been challenging but we want to make sure that all together we will improve that and we will make it nice for the residents – that is what we would like.
“I hope the residents will be happy to come down and have a pizza with us or a coffee with the neighbours, the noodle bar and the bubble tea that is already there.”
He offered to set up a WhatsApp group for neighbours and businesses in the arcade
Green councillor Kerry Pickett, who chaired the panel, asked if he would give residents a phone number if they did not want to join a WhatsApp group. Mr Vittori said yes.
The business aims to open until 10pm, serving the last drinks at 9.30pm, with 11pm closing as an option on busy summer days.
Currently, Pommy’s has a busy lunchtime trade selling its New York-style pizza by the slice, with more sit-down evening sales aimed at people who want a whole pizza and a beer.
Mr Vittori said that he was not a drinker himself but would like to offer people sitting in the restaurant the opportunity to have a beer from a local brewery with their food.
His business partner Riccardo Charsoni, 31, has experience of running a café bar in Bristol.
There was no intention to create a cocktail bar, Mr Vittori told the panel of three councillors – Steve Davis, Ivan Lyons and Councillor Pickett.
Mr Vittori said that he was hard of hearing and had a decibel reader to keep track of noise.
Music is not regulated before 11pm but, the panel was told, the business did not plan for live music, just low-level recorded music.
Pommy’s has space for five tables seating ten people inside and four tables outside for eight people.
The panel retired to make its decision which is due to be made public within five working days.
Sure, revive it, but you don’t need alcohol to do that.
Well said.
So the other businesses will be opening until 11 to benefit from this revival?
I don’t think so.
Google tells me this pizza parlour is already open until 9pm. I doubt they’ll be much trade after that and opening later will attract the people the arcade doesn’t want or need.
Surely, we can only hope that any changes will revive this doomed arcade?
It’s not like they are setting up a new pub or bar – or anything dodgy.
And if it was a bar, or a fully licensed restaurant, would that matter?
At the moment, every shop in there is dead. This historic arcade is a failed hangover from an earlier age, and new thinking is what has needed.
They may well only apply for the minimum now, but they’ll soon apply for extended licence, music, etc etc. The scum that hang around that area will scare any decent customers away.
This is a pizza place with residential properties above.
There is no reasonable need for an alcohol licence. It will attract 9 drinkers, noise, antisocial behaviour.
Brighton’s obsession with alcohol and all the anti-social behaviour it brings with it is getting ridiculous now with every other place under the sun wanting to sell booze. Primary schools will be applying for alcohol licences soon.
Brighton is becoming booze city and we all know where that leads. It should be renamed Boozeton. The decent, respectable people, usually those with more spending power, stop going out and the place gets taken over by beer monsters – just as has happened in Blackpool.
The reason that the arcade needs reviving is that the previous owners spent no money on it and stopped renewing the leases of previous businesses. They did this in the hope of selling it as prime real estate with the suggestion of turning it into residential use. Ironic isn’t it?