McDonald’s has lost its bid to make one of its restaurants in Central London a 24-hour operation after the local ward councillor painted a picture of anarchy during its opening hours.
Westminster City Council refused the request following a licensing meeting last week, according to a summary decision notice dated Thursday, July 24.
It’s not clear on what grounds the application was rejected as a full decision notice has not yet been issued, however ward councillor Selina Short told committee members the McDonald’s at 155 Victoria Street is a cause of “chaos” in the area.
Cllr Short said she was meant to provide the Licensing Committee with pictures of her late night visits to the area but was too scared to walk around and instead “just drove around a number of times”.
She said: “The pavement outside McDonald’s was full of electric bikes and mopeds on the pavement, alongside a number of people who looked like they were taking drugs, about to take drugs, or just looking distressed.”
She also visited when McDonald’s was closed and claims it was a “completely different scene” with rough sleepers bedding down and less noise.
She said: “This application to me does not make sense. We’re struggling to get enough police to deal with criminality, we don’t need it to be encouraged by a late night licence. It’s not fair to local residents who deserve to have peaceful nights and to be able to walk home at night. And it’s not fair to those who are bedding down on the streets.”
‘Unacceptably high level of incidents’
James Rankin, representing the Met Police, said 67 incidents were reported outside the premises over the last 12 months. Acknowledging the restaurant was a responsible licence holder, he said: “Even though they have all these checks and balances; even though they’ve got SIA (door security staff) at the moment; even though they’ve got dispersal policies, despite all of that, there is an unacceptably high level of incidents.”
Representatives for McDonald’s said the number of incidents reported by police didn’t match their own internal figures. They also claimed venues likes McDonald’s are typically used as a locator.
They claimed anyone unfamiliar with the area reporting an incident will flag they’re outside McDonald’s even though the incident may not involve the premises or took place when the restaurant was shut. They also claimed just 10 incidents took place during opening hours.
A consultant hired by the local McDonald’s said if the council did not approve the application, the area would become a “no-go zone”. He said: “It’s a zone that nobody other than the housed people in the area want to go to after 2 o’clock in the morning.
“By granting this application, you’re putting a presence on the street, with a uniformed security officer in that part of Victoria Street, who can challenge misbehaviour by the various people and report when those various people commit criminal offences or cause disturbance to the local residents.”
The venue also amended its application, reducing the days it is open 24 hours to the weekend. The Victoria Street premises had applied for a 24-hour licence but objectors fear it could lead to more crime and disorder.
To quell the concerns of objectors, McDonald’s proposed boosting litter patrols and conducting six-monthly meets with residents and councillors, according to the application to Westminster City Council.
It also promised to use “reasonable endeavours” to stop delivery drivers occupying nearby residential streets or congregating outside the store. Other conditions being proposed included staff being equipped with body-worn cameras and mobile panic buttons as well as proactive staff patrols to stop noisy or rowdy antisocial behaviour.
The busy takeaway currently runs from 5am to 2am on weekends and until midnight on weekdays.
McDonald’s has been contacted for comment.
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