International food chain Popeyes has been given permission to close later in Ilford, despite concerns about antisocial behaviour.
Redbridge Council has allowed the High Road eatery to run a delivery service until midnight, one hour later than it currently shuts.
The chain, which serves Louisiana-style chicken burgers, originally sought to close its restaurant at 1am and takeaways at 3am, seven days a week.
In a bid to mitigate noise and disruption, the restaurant would operate a CCTV system in and around the building and keep an incident log. Cameras would also be linked directly to the Metropolitan Police, to provide “extra security”.
At a licensing meeting in August, representatives from Popeyes said it would operate a “unique” order system, where drivers are notified their delivery is ready and then handed it by a staff member at the door.
They added that they would only deliver to residences, rather than parks or other spaces, which separated them from other businesses and “would negate the cumulative impact”.
However, several public bodies, including the Metropolitan Police and the council’s own licensing teams, objected to the scheme.
PC Dean Birch, a licensing officer with the Met, wrote to the committee to say he was “very concerned” the late hours would contribute to the “existing problems in the area”.
He said it would attract drunk customers, who are liable to be antisocial and noisy by “urinating against private and public property, vomiting on residential and business doorsteps, defecating, shouting and fighting”.
The sub-committee also received objections from the council’s public health department, which pointed to the risk of “unsightly” litter attracting vermin and causing foul odours.
Officials were also concerned about noise from delivery drivers when collecting deliveries after closing hours, which could be caused by “car doors slamming, revving of engines or playing loud music”.
Councillors ultimately felt that at a 3am closing time could end up disturbing local families’ sleep, and “restrictions” on the application were needed.
Popeyes applied for the later hours amid a massive nationwide expansion. The chain plans to open 45 new restaurants by the end of 2025 in a bid to rival Burger King.
In June, it was reported it had secured £43million in financing from Barclays to support its large-scale plans.
Last year, Popeyes opened 33 new shops. There are now more than 80 in the UK, after it set up its first eatery in late 2021.
