Residents in Purley have objected to plans by Berlin Grill, a kebab shop at 110 Brighton Road, to extend its opening hours, warning that the move could “attract a drunken clientele” and make the area “less safe during late hours”. The application will be considered by Croydon Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee on September 28, with a decision expected within five working days.
Application details and revised hours
Berlin Grill initially sought permission to operate until 5am but reduced the proposed hours following discussions with the Metropolitan Police. Under the revised application, the takeaway is seeking to extend its hot food service until 1am from Monday to Thursday and until 2am from Friday to Sunday.
A representative of Berlin Grill told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the business was seeking the amended licence in response to increased demand for late-night takeaway food in the area. The representative said the business will respond to the objections at the licensing meeting.
Residents' complaints and objections
Several local residents and businesses have opposed the plans. One family living next to the shop's ventilation equipment raised concerns about environmental nuisance, stating that the “constant hum, low-frequency vibration, intense heat, and heavy grease fumes” are directed towards their son’s bedroom window, making it impossible to open without filling the room with heat and odours.
Another resident wrote: “We are fed up with breathing in fumes from burnt oil and other fishy odours for 12 hours a day.” The same resident also raised concerns about rubbish on the pavement, describing having to deal “with the litter left behind by customers and contending with a pavement covered in grease” as a major burden.
Photographs submitted to the council appear to support these concerns, showing commercial waste dumped on public footpaths, including used cooking oil tins, cardboard food boxes and black refuse sacks left outside neighbouring shops. Several objectors cited previous incidents of people fighting, arguing and urinating on the pavement outside the shop.
Cumulative impact area and policy hurdles
Brighton Road falls within a cumulative impact area, meaning new late-night licences will only be granted in “genuinely exceptional circumstances”. Council officers say the policy is “intended to be strict” and will only be overturned in such cases.
Council guidance states that a well-managed business or the operator’s good character alone is not enough to justify an exception. Berlin Grill has agreed to police-requested crime prevention conditions and must satisfy the licensing panel that the premises will not undermine the licensing objectives.
Business owners along Brighton Road near Reedham Station also raised concerns about late-night disruption. A representative of neighbouring Sherwood Jewellery said Brighton Road being a main road “does not mean residents should reasonably be expected to tolerate commercial customer activity immediately beneath their homes throughout the night.” Objectors also raised concerns about limited parking, warning that extended hours could attract idling delivery riders, creating noise, blocking access and worsening congestion.
