An Ilford Lane takeaway that has spent months trying to get permission to open later and was recently fined £1,000 by police will meet with Redbridge Council tomorrow.
BIM’s burger restaurant, which closes at 11pm, asked the council’s licensing committee in July for permission to open until midnight on weeknights and until 1am on weekends.
The application was rejected after residents raised concerns about littering and anti-social behaviour, with the committee criticising the owner for failing to “accept any responsibility”.
Owner Karim Zigheche then successfully submitted a “temporary event notice” to open for those hours on September 18 to 20 as a “trial run” to prove the later hours would not cause issues.
Following this trial run - and the restaurant being fined by police for breaking the 10pm curfew by four minutes - he has applied again to extend his opening hours.
A total of 22 objections were sent to the council, including three from local councillors.
Read more: Residents object to Ilford Lane takeaway's request to open later
One objector, Hakan Ibrahim, wrote: “We are a small family with a newborn baby and two children under five, and the level of noise coming from the customers of this shop during the evening is preventing us all from sleeping.
“There is loud talking, closing and opening of car doors, revving, and music coming from their customers and suppliers.
“We are constantly finding their branded food packaging in our front garden, driveway and even back-garden, which burdens us with the task of collecting and disposing of this every time when it shouldn't be our responsibility.”
Cllr Helen Coomb (Lab, Clementswood) told the committee allowing BIM’s to open later would increase problems with litter, inconsiderate parking and noise.
She added: “The queue outside and the customers inside are not managed well enough to make sure of social distancing measures against COVID-19.”
Read more: Redbridge Council forced to compensate residents four-figure sums over failings
Earlier this month, police were forced to defend fining the restaurant £1,000 for serving a customer four minutes past the newly-introduced 10pm curfew.
Speaking in July, a spokesperson said BIM’s was “very disappointed” with the refusal but would create a “task force” to address problems such as noise and pollution.
They added: "There have clearly been problems with anti-social behaviour in the area and these problems, by the council’s own admission, have been in existence long before we opened Bim's.
"Indeed, since our arrival in January 2020, prostitution and drug-taking, which occurred nightly in the ground behind our restaurant, have disappeared thanks mainly to our zero tolerance policy.
"In the coming weeks we will approach all the interested parties locally and arrange the first of what we hope will be regular meetings at which the problems affecting our community can be discussed.
"We hope this inclusive approach will result in positive action to eradicate the noise and litter which are blighting the area."
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