Burger bar’s bid for later opening hours

Joe’s burger bar currently closes at 11am but owner Amin Zamani wants to be allowed to stay open until 2am on Saturday and Sunday mornings and midnight for the rest of the week.

The takeaway, on the corner of Church Road and Second Avenue, Hove, currently closes at 11pm.

Mr Zamani’s application to stay open later attracted formal objections from Sussex Police and the Brighton and Hove City Council licensing team.

They want the burger bar to shut at midnight at the latest and were concerned about potential noise and anti-social behaviour.

Police licensing officer Mark Thorogood told a council licensing panel that since March the force had received more than 80 calls complaining about anti-social behaviour in the area.

The force wants Mr Zamani to instal a CCTV (closed-circuit television) system and, if the council grants a late-night refreshment licence, police want qualified door staff on duty during the late opening hours at weekends.

The licensing panel was told that the premises were in a stretch of Hove that was designated part of the council’s “special stress area” earlier this year.

In the special stress area, the council aims to restrict the potential for licensed premises, particularly those serving alcohol, from fuelling crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and public nuisance such as noise.

Mr Zamani has no plans to sell alcohol. His friend Sean Wright, who helped the burger bar owner with his application, spoke on his behalf at a council licensing panel at Hove Town Hall on Monday (April 29).

He said that he had not been aware of the new restrictions resulting from the extension of the council’s special stress area to the Church Road area of Hove.

He said that there would be a CCTV system, tables would be brought in after 10pm and no smoking would be allowed outside.

He said: “A lot of the customers were coming in saying we want to have a burger after 11pm and we keep refusing them.

“The natural type of food after a heavy drinking session is something greasy to help soak up the alcohol.”

Mr Zamani said that he would accept conditions requiring a 1am closing time and restrictions on Deliveroo takeaways after midnight if the licensing panel chose to include them.

The panel, made up of councillors Julie Cattell, Mo Marsh and Jackie O’Quinn, retired to reach its decision which is due to be published after the Monday May 6 bank holiday.