Residents' victory as all-night chippie plan for Bognor is battered

The neighbours of the Beach Restaurant joined with the police to oppose the planned extension of hours at the business.

Operator Yusuf Vural applied to Arun District Council to be able to serve customers until 5am daily. His present premises licence enables him to stay open up to 3am.

But Arun district councillors rejected his application last Friday.

Cllr Dudley Wensley, who chaired the council's licensing sub-committee, told Mr Vural its members believed noise, nuisance and drunkenness would not be improved by the extra hours.

He said the sub-committee had decided not act on Mr Vural's offer he would settle for an extra 40 minutes opening on Saturday.

"The sub-committee has also seen there are no other premises in the immediate area able to legally sell food later than 3am. So Mr Vural is not facing disadvantage by way of any competition he might face," he said.

Mr Vural's wish to vary the licence by opening later would have made the seafront business the latest-opening takeaway in central Bognor.

Neighbouring resident Francis Weston, of Norfolk Street, who said he was speaking for many others, said: "I don't believe there's a need for anything in this area to stay open longer than they do now. It's just a magnet for bad behaviour, even though they are not the cause of it."

Waterloo Square resident Vicky Arnell-Smith said the number of people standing around, while others bought fish and chips, triggered fights in the area in the early hours of the morning.

She feared allowing the Beach Restaurant to open later would act as a precedent for other takeaways.

"At some point, the rights of residents to have at least a few hours' uninterrupted sleep has to be taken into account," she urged.

PC Dave Whitcombe, Sussex Police's licensing officer for Arun, said the number of arrests for public-order offences in the streets around The Beach last December were 15.

This compared with just seven two years earlier when the fish-and-chip business was temporarily closed.

It showed the presence of the fast-food outlet was a reason for people to stay after they had left the nearby clubs.

"This is an indication the premises does have an effect on behaviour," he commented.

"When the fish-and-chip shop is not there, there is no incentive for people to loiter rather than go home and behave themselves.

"Mr Vural does not want to keep customers on his premises because of the damage they can do.

"By the same token, the police certainly don't want them in The Esplanade hanging around for no better reason than having their food.

"I'm sure the residents don't want them hanging around until 3am or 4am disturbing their sleep."

Mr Vural had told the sub-committee he had requested the extra hours because serving clubbers after they had been dancing made money to overcome quieter periods after the business opened at 9am.

"The clubs extended their hours and we have to extend our hours," he said.

But he was unwilling to open the restaurant side of the business, as the police had requested, because of the damage the drunken customers would cause.

"We know our customers don't behave good," he admitted. He employs two door staff whenever he opens from midnight onwards.

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