Councillors have expressed disappointment after magistrates gave a Putney fast food takeaway permission to stay open until 3am at weekends.

South Western Magistrates Court has given the owners of the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Putney High Street permission to stay open that late on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The decision to give the owners additional opening hours overrules one taken by elected councillors in June when the owners applied to the town hall for a 4am licence and were refused.

Councillors on the borough's licensing sub-committee said the restaurant's existing 2am closing time was sufficient, prompting the owners to lodge an appeal with magistrates.

The owners of the takeaway did however fail to obtain the 4am opening hours they were seeking from the court.

Licensing chairman Cllr Russell King said:
"We turned down this proposal in the summer because we judged that any extension of the opening hours would have a seriously detrimental effect on the lives of people living nearby. In our view, the potential for noise created by the takeaway's customers was just not acceptable."

"It is therefore regrettable that the court has partially granted this appeal and allowed this takeaway to continue serving customers until 3am. If, as we fear, the premises does cause unacceptable levels of noise disturbance then residents do have the right to request a review of the licence."

Information on how to request a review can be found at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/licencereview.

November 3, 2009