Concerns have been raised over a North London Indian restaurant’s plans to sell alcohol and stay open until 2am every day. There are fears it will exacerbate existing issues with “anti-social behaviour, street drinking, and loitering” but the owner claims they will put additional measures in place to ensure it is “operated responsibly”.
Rajdhani Express, a vegetarian Indian restaurant on Kingsbury Road in Brent, has applied for a licence to remain open until 2am Monday through to Sunday and to sell alcohol from 11am to midnight. The premises, which features a street food selection at the front, intends to sell a range of alcoholic drinks – including bottled beers, draft beers, spirits and liquors – to be consumed on site.
The plan has received an objection by a Kingsbury resident, who claims the restaurant is already operating with a “highly cluttered, sprawling outdoor stall layout” that is “deteriorating the local high street environment”. They also raised further concerns about groups of men loitering outside, litter, and antisocial behaviour.
The objection claims: “There are now frequent occurrences of groups of young men congregating immediately outside these retail footprints, creating a localized nuisance and subjecting passing female residents to inappropriate, intimidating sexual comments.
“The business has demonstrated a complete inability to maintain an orderly, tidy, and managed shopfront. Adding an alcohol licence to a retail setup that is already unmanaged and overflowing externally presents an immediate risk of escalating this public nuisance.
“This lack of clear sightlines will inevitably invite expanded anti-social behaviour, street drinking, and loitering. Furthermore, because the business fails to manage its existing external footprint, it cannot be trusted to control the additional litter, discarded bottles, and drink cans associated with off-sales of alcohol.”
In response, the applicant said that the restaurant takes the concerns of local residents seriously and are committed to operating the premises “in a responsible manner” to ensure that the businesses “does not cause nuisance or disruption to the surrounding community”.
They also moved to “respectfully clarify” that, although there have been issues in the vicinity of the premises, there have been “no major incidents where customers, staff, or members of the public have been placed in a situation where they felt unsafe”.
The applicant added: “Our management team takes its responsibilities seriously and makes every reasonable effort to deal promptly with any issues that arise. The team is experienced and fully capable of managing the premises and responding appropriately should any concerns occur.”
If approved, alcohol will only be sold from inside the restaurant – not from the external stalls – and accompanying food. The applicant also addressed the concerns regarding litter by claiming that most of it comes from the general public on the street but they will “try our best” to keep the area clean.
They added: “Our intention is not to increase anti-social behaviour or cause inconvenience to local residents. On the contrary, we are putting additional measures in place, including the proposed security presence, to ensure that the premises are operated responsibly.”
The application will be reviewed by Brent Council’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee at a meeting later this month (September 15) where a decision on whether to approve the plans will be made.
