Licence granted for Kiveton restaurant after 150 residents sign counter petition

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council gave the go-ahead for alcohol to be sold in the Fuzion Bitez restaurant on Wales Road, Kiveton Park following a meeting on March 25.

The applicants said that the licence would ‘allow us to better control alcohol consumption and serve this in a responsible manner,’ rather than allow customers to bring their own alcohol.

Alcohol can now be sold every day of the week from midday to 10.30pm.

Seven objections to the application were lodged with Rotherham Council, as well as a petition against the plans signed by 24 residents.

Councillors Marnie Havard and Dominic Beck also objected to the licence.

Cllr Harvard states that an ‘influx’ of customers could ‘pose safety risks for residents, especially children, who may be playing or walking in the area’.

Resident Claire Wright told the licensing meeting: “This is going to have a massive impact on us, on our livelihood. If we were to process and sell our houses on….we’re going to lose market value.

Ms Wright also raised concerns about the effects of people who had been drinking alcohol at the restaurant on residents in the area who have ‘care and support needs’.

“Everybody deserves to have their own business…but anti-social behaviour in Kiveton Park is on the rise,” she said.

“We all live in a residential area. Why would we want a public house restaurant with a licence to sell alcohol on our doorstep? We don’t want it.

“We deserve to have privacy, we deserve to have peace and quiet when we’ve been at work all day. We don’t want the anti-social behaviour which comes from a restaurant which sells alcohol.”

Lawrence Shaw, who works at Fuzion Bitez, told the meeting that in the three months the restaurant had been open, “we have not had a single complaint about noise. We’ve never had a problem..and we don’t want one.”

Mr Shaw added that youths causing anti-social behaviour usually congregated in a park around half a mile away from the restaurant, and that there was nowhere for them to congregate outside Fuzion Bitez.

“I can’t see that having any relevance,” he added.

“The music is background level at best. If you’re in a restaurant, the last thing you want to do is hear music that’s so loud that you can’t hear somebody opposite you.

“We’re not a nightclub, We’re not even a pub. We don’t serve alcohol for the purposes of drinking only.”

Mr Lawrence added that 150 residents had signed a petition organised by the applicants, in support of granting the licence.

Alan Pogorzelec, licensing manager, told the meeting that property values were ‘irrelevant’ as they were not related to the council’s licensing objectives.

“I’m not saying they aren’t significant concerns,” he added, but “from a licensing point of view there’s no consideration.”

“I think it’s a bit of a jump that a licensed premises has the potential of putting vulnerable people at risk in their own home. That would be pretty extreme,” he said.

“If the licence was granted and problems arise, there is the opportunity for the council to review that licence.”

Resident Peter Stanley added that there is ‘zero parking’ around the restaurant, but chair of the meeting, Cllr Rachel Hughes, added that parking is not an issue that can be considered by the committee.

The applicant’s documents acknowledged that parking has always been a challenge in the area and points out that other nearby establishments also contribute to parking congestion. However, they have agreed that the manager will no longer park in the designated parking space to free up space for delivery drivers; and delivery drivers are now required to avoid parking on the side street next to the restaurant.