Hillingdon Council's Licensing Sub-Committee is reviewing a late-night refreshment licence application for Pepe's Piri Piri at 3 Byron Parade, Uxbridge Road, following noise objections from residents and the Environmental Protection Team. The location of the restaurant is shown on a map in the Public Reports Pack.
The application by AR&TripleA Limited seeks permission to serve late-night refreshments, both indoors and outdoors, from 23:00 to 03:00, Monday to Sunday. This has prompted concerns about potential public nuisance, one of the licensing objectives the committee must consider.
The Environmental Protection Team, led by Mr Boniface, raised concerns about noise and odours. We consider that hours applied for (until 3am) are excessive and that the current plant/machinery and the premises will give rise to public nuisance if in use after 23:00hrs. We therefore object outright to the application in its current form,
the team stated in their representation. The team noted that the extract system terminated at a low level, below the level of windows of the flats above and within a few metres of the first property in Star Road.
Mr Boniface reported a very loud, intrusive and disturbing noise
from the extraction system during a visit to the premises. He also noted a strong odour of smoke and burning grease. Mr. Boniface stated that he had the opportunity to discuss the design of the extract and view noise report data but he feels that both odour and noise emissions were significantly higher than would be expected.
According to paragraph 9.5 of Hillingdon's Licensing Policy, found in the Public reports pack, when addressing public nuisance, the applicant should identify any particular issues that are likely to affect adversely the promotion of the licensing objective to prevent public nuisance. The concerns mainly relate to noise nuisance from within the premises or from the use of any outside areas, light pollution, smoke and noxious smells. This may also include patrons outside a premises and the dispersal of customers.
Residents Ritesh Pankhania and Doreen Ellis also submitted representations. Mr Pankhania cited concerns about excessive late-night hours, potential disturbances to residents, and safety risks associated with increased nighttime traffic. Ms Ellis echoed concerns about anti-social behaviour.
Principal Licensing Officer Lois King noted that the Licensing Authority had not received any direct complaints about the premises. The applicant states in Section 18 of the application form, that they will take a holistic approach by creating a safe, respectful environment through staff training, CCTV, and close collaboration with local authorities
and will prevent nuisance by controlling noise, litter, and loitering.
The applicant has offered to amend the hours to 02:00 Sunday to Wednesday and 03:00 Thursday to Saturday, with mediation being attempted.
The operating schedules of other businesses in the vicinity are detailed in the Public reports pack. For example, Chicken Cottage and Dominos both have late-night refreshment licenses until 3:00 AM, while Yumchi's license ends at 24:00. The application from Pepe's Piri Piri initially requested authorization for late-night refreshment until 3:00 AM, which is similar to some other establishments.
The Licensing Sub-Committee, consisting of Councillor Peter Smallwood OBE, Councillor Shehryar Ahmad-Wallana, and Councillor Kuldeep Lakhmana, will consider the application based on the licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, and protection of children from harm. According to section 10.8 of the Public reports pack, following a hearing, the Sub-Committee can:
- Grant the licence, subject to the mandatory conditions and conditions consistent with the operating schedule
- Impose additional relevant conditions to such an extent as is considered necessary for the promotion of the licensing objectives
- Exclude any of the licensable activities to which the application relates
- Amend the times for all or some of the licensable activities
- Refuse to specify a person in the licence as the premises supervisor
- Reject the application.
The Agenda Frontsheet provides further details on the meeting's proceedings.
