My Yummie Pizza in Saltdean applies to stay open later

My Yummie Pizza, in Longridge Avenue, Saltdean, wants to be able to deliver until 2am on Monday to Friday and 3am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Twenty people have objected to the application by Khaled Mohamed to extend his late-night licence.

The takeaway currently closes at 11pm every night and delivers until midnight from Sunday to Thursday and until 1am on a Saturday and Sunday morning.

Mr Mohamed does not plan to keep the shop open later and said that deliveries would be dispatched from the back yard although there are flats above the commercial premises in Longridge Avenue.

The application is due to be considered on Friday by a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel, made up three councillors.

Sussex Police and the council’s licensing department have raised concerns that the business has been trading outside its current licenced hours. Its entry on Just Eat advertised deliveries until 1am on week days and 2am at weekends.

The issue came to light after the police and council were made aware of complaints of anti-social behaviour outside the shop, mentioned in many of the letters from the public.

Police are concerned about the application for My Yummie Pizza to stay open later

A Sussex Police licensing officer wrote: “Sussex Police have recently received reports from a number of residents/members of the public complaining of anti-social behaviour occurring outside the front of this premises.

“These reports evidence large groups of youths hanging around the front of this premises, shouting, swearing and being loud for extended periods of time.

“These reports have been received at various times of the day from 10.32am to 2.42am.

“Secondly, we also have minimal trust in the management of this premises as we have recently been informed by Brighton and Hove City Council Licensing that the premises is trading outside of its current licence hours.”

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The council licensing department wrote to Mr Mohamed on Tuesday 10 August and the police sent a warning letter two days later.

Since then, the late-night delivery times have been changed on the Just Eat website.

One objector, whose details were redacted by the council, said: “I am awoken many times a night and morning from the banging of delivery car doors, loud voices outside the premises and screaming and drunk, dancing 20 to 30 teenagers who come up from the beach late, about 10pm to 11pm and sit outside or standing for one to two hours.

“Rubbish (is) thrown on to the floor and left. This is the second year. (It’s) especially worse in the summer and this is starting afternoon until late at night every day.”

Another objector, whose details were also redacted, said: “The premises already generates a lot of crowds and huge amounts of litter from takeaways left all the way down to the beach.

“It also encourages crowds of youths to loiter and cause problems for residents.”

The council licensing panel is due to meet virtually at 10am on Friday and the hearing is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.

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