New takeaway allowed to offer deliveries until 3am

Tiger Bite, which opened in Mill Street this month, will have to secure planning consent before it can provide late night refreshment however, because of an opening time restriction imposed on the unit seven years ago.

Stafford Borough Council allowed a change of use of the premises in 2016 to enable a restaurant and takeaway to open there. But the opening time was limited to 11pm to limit potential noise nuisance for nearby residents.

The operators of Tiger Bite plan to offer a delivery service until 3am seven days a week. But their application for a late night refreshment licence sparked objections from residents and the borough council’s environmental health department.

A council officer said: “It is the opinion of Environmental Health that this is likely to cause a public nuisance due to noise from increased late night footfall, including associated anti-social behaviour, and increased traffic due to food delivery vehicles. There is also a potential for increased litter along the street.

“This was also Environmental Health’s position when the planning application for a restaurant/take away at this site was granted in 2016. At that time the opening hours of the premises were restricted to between 11am and 11pm Monday-Saturday and not at all on Sundays and Bank Holidays to prevent disturbance to nearby residents.”

A resident said: “Parking is already a problem in the street in the evenings. With no active enforcement, car owners park wherever they like – they park on the pavements blocking it for people walking along the street.

“I’d happily welcome a new business in the street, we don’t want another empty unit in the town. But I do object to the change of licensing – there is no need for the late closing that they are asking for.”

The authority’s licensing sub-committee met on Tuesday to consider the application. During the meeting the applicants offered to close the front entrance to the premises at 11pm, instead requiring staff and delivery drivers to use a rear entrance next to the car park off Mill Bank to reduce the impact on residents.

Objectors present at the meeting – an environmental health officer and a resident – agreed a series of conditions with the applicants and the premises licence was granted, subject to measures including stopping walk-in sales from 11pm. Lights at the front of the premises will also have to be switched off from 11pm.

Staffordshire Police had already agreed a series of conditions with the applicant before the meeting. And the applicant had previously proposed measures to prevent public nuisance including installation of CCTV and promoting online ordering services to reduce the need for customers to physically attend the takeaway.