A new central Brighton restaurant will not be able to operate for takeaway and delivery until 3am after councillors refused a late licence.
Bahaaeldin Abdelalim, 42, applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for a late-night refreshment licence, allowing him to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks from Station Grill, at 62 Queen’s Road, after 11pm.
Mr Abdelalim offered to close the business to sit-in diners at midnight and offer takeaway and delivery.
The application was refused following a licensing panel hearing before three councillors – Julie Cattell, John Hewitt and Ivan Lyons – on Friday 15 November.
Sussex Police and the council’s licensing department opposed the application that they said breached a policy on new late-night outlets in central Brighton, other than in exceptional circumstances.
Force licensing officer Hannah Staplehurst raised concerns about the number of crimes in Queen’s Road in the past year, including 11 sexual assaults.
She said that there were five businesses with historic 3am late-night refreshment licences without alcohol sales in Queen’s Road, one next to Mr Abdelalim’s premises.
Ms Staplehurst asked Mr Abdelalim about his experience of running a late-night operation in Britain.
Mr Abdelalim had no experience of operating a late-night food business here but had 15 years’ experience in his home country of Egypt.
Council licensing officer Sarah Cornell shared Sussex Police’s lack of confidence in the application.
In a decision letter, the council said: “The panel considered that the applicant did not appreciate or properly understand some of the conditions he was agreeing to which was illustrated in his written submission and in response to questioning especially on the issue of SIA security.
“The panel is also concerned that the applicant does not have a proper understanding of the nature of cumulative impact in our policy which is about the negative cumulative effect of a concentration of licensed premises in an area which leads to problems of crime and disorder and public nuisance over and above those linked to an individual premises.
“He also misunderstood the concept of ‘need’ which is not a relevant licensing concern.
“Overall, the panel shares the concerns of the police and licensing authority and does not have confidence in the ability of the applicant to operate such a licence without issue in this challenging area.”
Mr Abdelalim has 21 days to appeal against the decision.
