COUNCILLORS will meet later this week to decide the fate of an application to let a popular café serve alcohol from as early as 7am, which has been met with furious objection by neighbours.

The owner of Bungalow Café in Spratt Hall Road, Wanstead, has applied for a licence to serve alcohol from 7am to 11pm six days a week as part of a plan to re-open as an Italian restaurant.

Residents living near the café have criticised the plans as they feared it would bring an increase in litter and anti-social behaviour to their quiet part of Wanstead, as well as worsen the already difficult parking situation in their neighbourhood.

One resident, 70-year-old Mary Ward, of said the situation would become “World War Three” if the licence was granted.

Meanwhile, business owner Stavros Nicola, 40, said that he planned to turn the café into a family-run restaurant which would be of benefit to the area as opposed to a blight on the lives of local people.

Members of Redbridge Council's licensing committee will meet this Friday (July 23) at 10:30am.

Check next week's Wanstead and Woodford Guardian for the outcome of the meeting.