Ball Hill burger restaurant gets licence to serve hot food until 4am

Locals say the area is struggling - but nearby businesses wrote letters of support



A Coventry burger restaurant has been given a licence to serve hot food until 4 in the morning, and 6am on Fridays and Saturdays, but will need to get permission to stay open this late. Ball Hill eatery Wall Street Burgers had its bid for the licence granted by councillors at a hearing yesterday, July 25.

The meeting took place after three people wrote to the council against the Walsgrave Road restaurant's plans. Objectors claimed the move would make the area's current problems with noise, litter and traffic worse.

In letters to the council they described Ball Hill as run-down, feeling unpleasant at night and struggling with a wave of anti-social behaviour. But none of the 'responsible authorities' such as police who were consulted on the restaurant's plans had any opposition to them.

Over 40 people signed a petition set up by the restaurant in favour of its application. It also recieved letters of support from three local businesses stating they had no objections to the plans and praising restaurant staff for helping to keep the area clean and safe.

Licensing consultant Anil Bhawsar, representing applicant Jibraan Shah, told the meeting Mr Shah had a decade of experience in the late night food industry and wanted to open later because of demand from customers. He said the restaurant has multiple CCTV cameras and there are five staff working during every shift, and also confirmed the outlet doesn't sell alcohol.

Mr Shah said the restaurant has signs up asking customers to leave quietly and put rubbish in the bins, while parking is available in a car park opposite. Most of the restaurants' sales come from deliveries via drivers in cars, or on mopeds and e-bikes, and the outlet only has a small sit-in area, he added.

The meeting heard other businesses on the road do open late into the night, such as the Royal Diner takeaway and a grill house. None of the objectors to the licence were at the hearing to speak.

But Cllr Faye Abbott, chair of the sub-committee, told the meeting that regardless of the councillors' decision on the licence, the restaurant still has planning limits it must stick to. These relate to a change of use application dating back to before it opened - and limit the outlet to operating within 11am-11.30pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 11-10.30pm on Sundays and public holidays.

Specifically, no customers are allowed on the premises and no hot food deliveries can be made from the site outside these hours, the condition says. "You are bound by the most restrictive set of conditions in place on that property," said Cllr Abbott.

Mr Bhawsar told the meeting they weren't aware of this and papers showed the application did not have a response from the planning authority, though an officer confirmed these do go before them. It means Wall Street Burgers will have to formally submit a section 73 planning application to change its hours of operation.

After discussion, councillors of the sub-committee agreed to formally grant the licence as asked for by the restaurant.

That is going to attract trouble.