A fast food chain has been thwarted in its attempts to open round the clock in the heart of Brighton.
Subway, in North Street, wanted its licence to sell hot food extended from 11pm to 5am.
After 5am it doesn’t need a licence and would have been able to open 24 hours a day.
But Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing panel turned down Subway’s application after Sussex Police objected.
Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett wrote to the council to say: “The grant of a variation of the premises licence would provide a further late-night venue open 24 hours a day within an area already so sufficiently heavily populated with licensed premises that crime, disorder and public nuisance have reached problem levels.
“This premises has already been the source of 999 calls asking for police attendance on a number of occasions over the last year both by staff and customers.”
The 999 calls included at least three fights, including one involving a dozen people less than two months ago.
The duty manager refused to give a statement to police after one incident and on at least two occasions staff were unable to recover CCTV footage after crimes were reported.
The store is also in the cumulative impact area which was set up to public nuisance and crime and disorder.
Licences are granted or extended only in special circumstances.
Councillor Dee Simson, chairman of the licensing panel, said: “The panel felt that to allow Subway to serve hot food from 11pm until 5am would result in more people hanging around in North Street after a night out in the city creating noise and disturbance.”
She: “The aim of the cumulative impact area is to uphold the licensing objectives by restricting late-night licensing and we are committed to doing everything we can keep our residents and visitors safe in the city after dark.”
