A West London chicken shop has been granted permission to open into the early morning hours despite objections from residents and the council environmental team.
Pepe’s Piri Piri, Byron Parade, Uxbridge, will now be open until 3am Thursday to Saturday, and until 2am Sunday through Wednesday. Originally, the applicant requested a closing time of 3am for the entire week, however alterations were given as a condition of the licence being granted.
Unusually, Hillingdon Council’s licensing subcommittee was forced to begin the hearing without the applicant, Rahim Rashid, present. Council officers explained that despite attempting to contact Mr Rashid, they were unable to reach him.
Council meetings usually follow a strict agenda, with the applicant putting their case to the committee at the start of the meeting, however this section had to be skipped as he wasn’t there.
Rahim and his colleague were 12 minutes late to the meeting, arriving once the environmental officer had begun his statement. They apologised for their absence, and the Chair, Councillor Peter Smallwood, agreed that on this occasion, he would allow their representations to be made.
Mr Rashid told the committee that he was late due to moving premises, and struggling to find a parking space near the Civic Centre. Bizarrely, he went on to admit he was forced to park on a double yellow line to save time, and was “probably going to get a ticket.”
Once the meeting resumed, the environmental officer, Simon Boniface, continued his representations. He told the committee that his department was concerned about the “offensive noise and odour” emitted by the restaurant.
He added: “It is so far beyond what we deem as acceptable when it comes to the odour and noise.” Later, he told councillors that the applicants had not engaged with the environmental team or their concerns.
Mr Rashid pushed back at this. He said: “We did not respond to the environmental officer as it seemed opinionated.”
Cllr Wallana then described his concerns both at the lateness, and failure to engage with the environmental officer prior to the hearing. Mr Rashid responded: “I can see that the councillor is perturbed that we are late, so for the third or fourth time, I offer my apologies.”
The applicant pointed out that there are other nearby fast food restaurants and shisha lounges which are permitted to operate until the early hours. In an email to a council officer, Mr Rashid said he felt they were being held to a “different standard.”
Two residents living nearby objected to the application, concerned about the potential for noise and nuisance late at night. One resident, Doreen Ellis, said she already feels “intimidated” by people visiting existing late night establishments.
In an email, she said: “Commonly in Star Road we experience arguments, fights, littering, loitering, drunkenness and even urinating down the side of people’s houses. I feel intimidated by this behaviour as I am in my 90s and live alone. I feel that we already have enough to tolerate without additional venues being allowed late licensing hours and thereby increasing anti-social behaviour and further impacting the quality of life in our neighbourhood.”
However, the committee decided to grant permission for the fast food restaurant to open until the early hours. This is with conditions which mean it must close at 2am instead of 3am Sunday-Wednesday, and the applicant must allow for a new noise assessment to take place.
Philip is a Local Democracy Reporter covering Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow, with a focus on council decisions, housing, planning, licensing and community stories across west London.
