Redbridge Council is considering a new premises licence application from Rio's Piri Piri, a grilled chicken restaurant located at 171 Ilford Lane. The application, submitted by Nayyer Sheikh on behalf of Sheikh Restaurants Limited, seeks permission for late-night refreshment until 3:00 AM, seven days a week, with opening hours from 12:00 to 03:00. This has raised concerns about potential increases in crime, public nuisance, and health issues in an area already under strain. The current license permits the restaurant to operate until 12:00 AM every day.
The applicant has proposed several conditions to mitigate potential negative impacts, including CCTV installation, staff training, and measures to prevent public nuisance such as litter patrols and restrictions on deliveries during late hours. The applicant's dispersal policy includes measures such as taking last orders for dine-in customers at 23:30 and for collection/delivery at 01:15 (Monday-Thursday) and 02:45 (Friday-Sunday), continuous monitoring of the outside of the restaurant, and a reminder for customers arriving by car not to leave engines running or play loud music. The applicant stated:
The Applicant is aware that the premises is located within the Ilford Town Centre Cumulative Impact Area, what that means, of the issues arising and of the need to ensure that their fastfood restaurant does not add to the negative cumulative impact within the CIA. - Public reports pack 22nd-Jul-2025 10.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.pdf
However, the application has drawn significant opposition from both local residents and responsible authorities, who fear the extended hours will exacerbate existing problems in the Ilford Lane area. Councillor Muhammed Javed, Councillor Hussain, Hameeda Saeed, Linda Speedwell and Sahdia Warraich have all submitted objections to the application.
The Metropolitan Police Licensing Team, the Council's Licensing Enforcement Team, and the Community Protection Task Force (acting in their capacity as Environmental Health and Public Health) have all lodged objections. Their concerns centre around the potential for increased crime and disorder, public nuisance, risks to public safety, and harm to children.
PC Dean Birch, the Metropolitan Police Licensing Officer, cited the council's statement of licensing policy, noting that the premises is located within a cumulative impact zone. A Cumulative Impact Area (CIA) is defined as an area where the concentration of licensed premises is believed to be having a negative impact on the licensing objectives. The factors that led to Ilford Lane being designated as a Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) include a proliferation of late-night refreshment premises and off-licenses operating late at night, which has contributed to issues such as street drinking, public nuisance, prostitution, litter, crime, and disorder. PC Birch noted that within a CIZ, there is a rebuttable presumption that licence applications for premises in any area designated as a CIZ will be refused.
He also noted a recent warning notice issued to the venue for conducting licensable activities without a current and valid license, by repeatedly operating beyond their permitted hours.
Priya Cheema, a Licensing Enforcement Officer for the London Borough of Redbridge, submitted supporting documents including a crime map for the Ilford Lane area and a planning decision refusing a variation of condition relating to opening hours. The crime map (Annex 1 - Crime Map for Ilford Lane Area Rios Piri Piri.docx) indicated that in March and April 2025, there were 71 and 79 total crimes committed in Clementswood Ward, predominantly around Ilford Lane, with violence and sexual offences (57) and anti-social behaviour (33) being the most prevalent in those two months alone.
The planning decision (Annex 3 - Planning Decision Rio's Piri Piri.pdf) to refuse a variation of condition relating to opening hours was made because the details submitted were insufficient, failing to provide a Noise Impact Assessment and Noise Management Plan. The proposed extension to the approved opening hours would have a serious and adverse effect on the amenity enjoyed by occupants of the first-floor residential flats and neighbouring residential units by reason of noise, disturbance, general pedestrian activity at and within the vicinity of the site late at night, and would negatively contribute to the Town Centre Cumulative Impact Zone on Ilford.
Sultana Choudhury, a Public Health Principal, raised concerns about the establishment's location in an area with higher than average levels of obesity and diabetes. Data from Local Insights 2025 indicates that in Clemenstwood, 9.34% of people are recorded as obese and 10.21% of people are recorded as having high blood pressure. Additionally, the percentage of obese children in Clemenstwood in reception year (4-5) is 15.1% and 27.6% in Year 6 (10-11) in Loxford, both of which are significantly higher than the Redbridge and London averages. She stated that regular consumption of fast food can contribute to weight gain and an increased risk of chronic diseases.
The Redbridge Council licensing sub-committee, including Councillors Saira Y. Jamil, Taifur Rashid MBE, and Jamal Uddin, is scheduled to convene to consider the application and objections. The procedure for licensing hearings is as follows: The Chair explains the procedure, followed by a summary of the application by a Licensing Authority officer. Evidence is considered in the following order: applicant's case, responsible authority's case, and interested party's case. Each party can question the others, and members can also ask questions. Finally, each party sums up, and the sub-committee decides the matter in private, with official notice of the decision sent to all parties within 5 working days. The sub-committee will need to consider whether the applicant has demonstrated that granting the application will not add to the cumulative impact in the area, and whether the proposed conditions are sufficient to address the concerns raised by the responsible authorities and local residents.
