Chris Best

Objection to late night refreshment licence Savalan Kebab,289 Sydenham Road

Permission granted

Objection to the granting of a late night refreshment licence for Savalan Kebab, 289 Sydenham Road, SE26 5EW

The 2003 Licensing Act affects premises such as night cafés and takeaway food outlets where people may gather to purchase hot food or drink at any time from 11.00pm and until 5.00am.

The applicant is asking for a 2am licence Monday to Saturday and 1am on Sunday.

I understand that the other licensed takeaways in this part of Sydenham Road are as below:

Wing Lee – 295 Sydenham Road – Licensed for Late Night refreshment – Until 23:30 Sunday – Thursday & 00:00 Friday & Saturday

Oze Sushi – 335 Sydenham Road – Licensed for the sale of alcohol on & off the premises 12:00 – 22:30

Although Wing Lee have a license for late night refreshment, they close at 11pm and are a long standing takeaway.

Granting this license would therefore set a precedent and I wish to object to the granting of a late-night refreshment licence for the reasons set out below.

By way of background, I have listed the takeaways and cafes on this stretch of Sydenham Road as residents are concerned with the number of takeaways as well as the concentration from 289 to 315. Most do not have licenses, and this is welcomed as we face a public health crisis in Lewisham with the high number of takeaways linked to the high levels of obesity in our residents.

289 Savalan Kebab – takeaway – advertised at closing at 11pm

293 Caribbean Bites – takeaway and eat in

295 Wing Lee – takeaway – closes at 11pm

297 MM Fried Chicken – takeaway and eat in 299 Barakah – https://barakahtakeaway.com – takeaway closes by 11pm

305 Chicki Dishes Express – new takeaway - previously a study centre

311 Park New Café – takeaway and eat in for breakfast, lunch and sandwiches 315 Millennium Tandoori - www.millenniumsydenham.co.uk – takeaway closes at 11pm 335 Oze Sushi - www.ozesushi.co.uk – takeaway and eat in – closes at 10pm

Opposite these takeaways are the suite of buildings for Our Lady & St Philip Neri, with the school within 400 metres of 289 Sydenham Road, Sydenham Library and Home Park.

I have a number of residents are complaining about multiple issues of antisocial behaviour from the takeaways - pavement parking, cooking oil-stained pavements, and commercial waste bags being left out with food overnight, getting torn apart by

foxes. There are also rough sleepers in Home Park that cause a problem late at night with street drinking and leary, intimidating behaviour.

Of particular concern is that Savalan Kebab is within 400 metres of Our Lady & St Philip Neri primary school, and I believe contrary to our policy of allowing new takeaways within this distance from schools. Whilst there has been a number of hot food takeaway operating at 289 Sydenham Road in the past it has been closed at different times and this is a new business. There is now an entirely new all-glass shopfront. This is in breach of the shopfront rules, with the glass continuing right down to floor level, and no frame around the doorway. Efforts have been made to obscure the bottom half of the glass with a stick-on plastic screen.

I have set out my concerns under the four headings below:

Prevention of Public Nuisance

The location of Savalan Kebab is opposite Sydenham Library and close to the frontage of Home Park. This is an area where rough sleepers gather to take part in street drinking as evidenced by the bottles and cans found in the morning by the street sweepers. I am also informed by local residents that the taking of drugs also occurs as evidenced by the perfume and behaviour of some of the rough sleepers.

Transient noise from the rough sleepers and the street drinking is a problem which disturbs residents during the night time.

Providing another late-night source of alcohol could increase the problems associated with drunken disturbances and aggressive behaviour.

This is a residential area, with residents living next door at the converted commercial premises at 287, who do wish to see further antisocial behaviour, noise and litter outside their homes.

Protection of children from harm

Opening in the early hours of the morning will impact the children who live in the homes above the takeaways. Residents need to sleep and to get their children to sleep to have an undisturbed night ready for the school day. Having a license until 2am in the morning will impact on families and their children attending the local primary schools – Our Lady & St Philip Neri School is the closest at 208 Sydenham Road with the main school entrance in the park and staff and visitors entrance on the road. Haseltine, St Michaels and Adamsrill are a short distance away.

Public Safety

The location of the rough sleepers and street drinkers opposite poses a concern for local residents including those travelling home late on night on public transport. Having later hours for the sale of alcohol would very likely increase the cumulative stress of noise and nuisance to be a risk to the residents living in the neighbouring homes. I am aware that women find this stretch of Sydenham Road intimidating with the leary behaviour of the street drinkers and a concern to the small independent traders opposite.

Prevention of Crime and Disorder

There are concerns by residents about the excessive problems of anti-social behaviour in the area, particularly in Home Park which is open 24/7. As stated above there are a number of take aways in the parade and littering is a real problem.

There is antisocial and criminal activity including urinating on the highway and defecating behind the building fronting the park - the Council owned public convenience been closed for many years. I am concerned about the illegal use of drugs as residents have said they believe the rough sleepers smoke cannabis and there is evidence of drug paraphernalia in that area of the park.

Conclusion

Residents feel that granting a late-night refreshment license to Savalan Kebab will undermine the licensing objectives for public safety, public nuisance and could lead to an increase in crime and disorder.

Littering is also likely to increase and is currently a major concern for local residents despite the provision of numerous litter bins on the corners of the side roads off Sydenham Road.

There is also a concern that other takeaways may apply for a late-night refreshment license as at present the takeaways close by 11pm which enables the residents above the shops and on the side roads to get a reasonable nights sleep. Whilst Sydenham welcomes an evening economy it does support a late night one given it is a residential area.