Moseley pizza shop late-night licence refused

Mars Pizza on Alcester Road, Moseley, was applying for a late-night refreshment licence, which would have seen its opening hours extended until 1am on weekdays and 2am at weekends.

However the application was today refused after several residents wrote to the council to voice their objections, with claims that rubbish bins were left to overflow and trade waste was being burned by shop employees.

Mars Pizza had argued that pictures of overflowing bins were taken on the morning of collection days, adding that residents were also using their bins and that they had applied for a larger bin for trade waste.

They also claimed that none of their employees had been responsible for the burning of waste, something which Mr Sandys, representing The Moseley Society and Chantry Road and Park Hill residents’ society, said was not true.

“We’ve already seen evidence of the rubbish piling up at the back and that seems to be a perennial problem, and I can’t really add anything more to that, the pictures speak for themselves,” he said.

“I myself witnessed the burning incident which was reported to the council. I went to visit Moseley central which is the name of the apartment blocks next to the restaurant with my son, and as we walked into that quadrangle area behind Mars Pizza we noticed an individual creating a pile of rubbish, and was appearing to pour some liquid over it.

“We didn’t really think much of it at the time, went into Moseley central, and came out about ten minutes later to find six foot high flames coming out of the pile of rubbish.

“So we immediately ran into the premises to tell the employee who was there that there was an out of control fire right next to a block of apartments. And he acted swiftly and doused the flames.

“Now I don’t remember what he looked like and I didn’t take a picture, but unless there’s some other individual going around burning rubbish then it would appear that there was an attempt being made to burn trade waste.

“So that was my concern and that prompted me, because I was worried about safety, to write to environmental health.

“So that’s why I said that I could talk about the burning, because I was the one who saw it and also reported it.

“And because I was horrified by it I actually mentioned it to some neighbours on Chantry Road, and they immediately said ‘oh yes, the one who burns his rubbish’. So it’s not as if this appears to be an isolated incident.

“Now I’ve not heard anymore or witnessed any similar incidents since December 2019, but it did give me pause for thought when I saw the combination of the piling of rubbish, the previous evidence of burning of rubbish and also the concern about the proximity of these premises to a significant block of apartments, that really this is not the place to be having a late-night licence granted.”