An application to extend the opening hours for a new restaurant in Hale has been approved, despite residents’ concerns and allegations of its existing licence being breached.
Those living close to People in Hale village on Ashley Road had objected to plans for its opening hours to be extended over noise and public safety concerns.
The owners applied to Trafford council to have its hours extended to 9am to midnight daily and to change the name of the restaurant from Karam to People officially.
The restaurant is currently licensed to open from 11am to 00.30am daily.
But during a heated licensing committee meeting this week, concerns were raised that the premises had already been witnessed contravening its existing licence.
Speaking at the committee meeting, Coun Simon Thomas said he drove past People in Hale on the morning of November 3 and witnessed punters sat outside before 11am.
He said: “This morning you had customers sat outside before 11 o’clock – which is in contravention of the current licence.”
In response, a spokesperson for the applicants said: “I’m not aware of what’s happened before, but I can assure you that from when we’ve done this application now, everything will change.
“We’re doing it in the right way, we don’t serve alcohol between 9am and 11am. These are the things we are asking for – changing the trade name and changing the opening time so we can attract more customers to our breakfast there.”
Coun Thomas replied: “You’ve not given me, to my mind, a valid reason for why you are opening up, either inside or outside, at this present time, when your licence doesn’t allow you to.
“I am concerned that if you’re going to flout a licence in law that states you can’t open until 11 o’clock, what’s going to happen regarding the alcohol? And you’ve given me nothing, other than saying you’re not going to do it any further, to suggest that you’re going to adhere to any conditions that are put on the licence.”
Nearby residents attending the meeting also raised their concerns.
Coun Thomas continued: “I am concerned about what the residents are alleging and having seen something with my own eyes, I’m concerned that you’re not addressing that and how the regime going forward will adhere to conditions and that may or may not be put on the licence going forward.”
The applicants’ spokesperson responded: “The concerns that you raise, I take them very seriously, I can assure you that this will not happen [again]. Changes have to be made. I want you to make sure that all of the changes we are asking for now are by the book.”
Chairing the meeting, Coun David Jarman, concluded: “We can tie it down with the new application and rely on residents that if they spot any breaches you can follow that up.”
The new hours now mean the European-influenced restaurant, which received £50,000 worth of investment before opening earlier this year, can open from 9am and close at midnight Monday to Saturday and 10am to midnight on Sundays and bank holidays.
The premises name can now also be officially changed from Karam to People.
The owners confirmed repeatedly during the meeting that alcohol will not be served before 11am each day.
The new licence including the new opening hours and name change was granted with 24 conditions by Trafford council’s licensing committee.
These conditions included that all doors and windows of the premises must remain shut and no bottles can be emptied into bins externally, nor rubbish collected during unreasonable hours and no music, sound or speakers are permitted outside the premises.
Explaining the reasoning behind the decision, Coun David Jarman stated the issue before the committee was simply the premises’ name change and its opening hours change.
He added: “I would urge all parties to talk to one another and that would assist with the operations. I would urge the applicant to do what he says and if he agrees with the residents to do something, then do it and obviously stick to the conditions of the application.”
He added that if any breaches were witnessedby residents in future that they should be reported and that the council will pursue them ‘vigorously’ with the possible outcome of the premises loosing its licence if breaches are proven to have occurred.
