A chicken takeaway in Shepherd’s Bush has been given a temporary late-night licence after Hammersmith and Fulham councillors approved a reduced version of its application.
Chicken Valley, on Goldhawk Road, can now serve late-night refreshment until 11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and until 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. The licence will stay in force for six months unless a further application is made and approved.
The business had asked to open later – until midnight during the week and 1.30am at weekends – with service continuing for another 15 minutes.
Objections raised before hearing
The application went before the council’s Licensing Sub-Committee last week and drew six objections, including one from the Met Police.
PC Charlotte Bennett said the premises is “in close proximity to an existing late night drinking establishment,” and added: “For me there are concerns regarding customer dispersal, particularly in the early hours, where the risk of disorder and anti-social behaviour is heightened. It is also in a high crime area.”
Another objection came from the council’s Community Safety Team. Community Safety Officer Carol Fregiste-Thomas said the area around Goldhawk Road already has a significant concentration of licensed premises and ongoing problems with groups gathering nearby at night.
Operator responded to concerns
In a statement before the hearing, applicant and operator Matin Noori said Chicken Valley only opened earlier this year. He disputed concerns raised after a police visit in which a staff member reportedly gave the wrong closing time.
Mr Noori wrote: “The member of staff the officer spoke to that day normally works at another shop and was covering at Chicken Valley.”
He also told councillors he would be open to an earlier closing time than 2am, while saying many regular customers wanted the shop to serve later into the night.
Six-month licence with conditions
Residents also raised concerns about the effect of later trading on nearby homes. Tony Fox, a resident and board member at Apex Court on Woodger Road, told the hearing he believed anti-social behaviour in the area could get worse if the hours were extended.
Councillors approved the licence in part rather than in full. Alongside the reduced hours, they imposed extra conditions including a daily incident log and high-definition CCTV.
The decision means Chicken Valley can trade later than before, but not as late as requested, and only for a six-month period unless a new application is submitted and granted.
Source: MyLondon
