A NEW takeaway has had its late-night opening plan denied by the council after police raised concerns it would fuel trouble in one of the city centre’s worst crime hotspots.
Worcester City Council told bosses at soon-to-open Fireaway Pizza in Angel Street that the new restaurant and takeaway can open until 1am every day – rather than the 5am they requested – after an intervention by West Mercia Police.
Officers challenged the application by the city centre’s newest takeaway saying Angel Place was one of the city’s main anti-social behaviour hotspots at night and allowing another late-night venue to open would only add to a rise in crime, noise, traffic and litter.
According to police, Angel Place and Angel Street were among the six worst spots across south Worcestershire for violent crime and the worst across the same area for anti-social behaviour.
Sgt Simon Hallam told the licensing subcommittee at a meeting in the Guildhall on Tuesday (July 26): “It is fact, this area is an epicentre of anti-social behaviour and criminality within the city and any businesses wishing to benefit from the night-time economy, particularly those that are looking to open until the early hours, will simply fuel the current issues that are being experienced.”
The objection from police came in spite of both neighbouring takeaways Shakeeys and Best Kebab House having 6am and 5am closing times.
Fireaway Pizza manager Harbinder Sahota argued that opening until the early hours -and through the installation of high-quality CCTV and hiring of late-night bouncers – would reduce the problems in Angel Street and “struggled to understand” why police were so opposed.
“I want these issues to be minimised,” he said. “I’m trying to make the town better place and strongly believe in the massive positive impact that we can bring.”
Sgt Hallam said high-quality CCTV should be installed as a minimum and disagreed, having seen trouble continue in Angel Street in spite of CCTV, that it would act as a ‘calming measure’.
He added that having bouncers on the doors of Angel Street’s other takeaways had also done little to discourage late-night disorder.
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