Gidea Park Takeaway Given Permission To Stay Open Until Early Hours By Council Despite Police Pushback.

Local Democracy reporter Sebastian Mann writes

A takeaway in Gidea Park has been given permission to stay open until the early hours, despite pushback from the police.

GeTurkish, in Station Road, was granted a conditional licence at a Havering Council licensing meeting yesterday, 24th July.

The exact closing time was not publicly specified by the committee.

The venue sells hot food typical of takeaways such as burgers, kebabs and chips. It does not serve alcohol.

The area is mainly made up of houses and GeTurkish is the only licensed takeaway. The only other business in close proximity is a 24-hour taxi depot.

Owner Ruhul Amin had initially applied for permission to close at 2am but accepted a reduced closing time of 1.30am, in line with the nearby Gidea Park station’s hours.

PC Stockman, from the Metropolitan Police, said the force took no issue with there being a takeaway opposite the station, but “could not support” the initial closing time.

Late takeaways can attract drunk people, he said, who may use foul language, loiter, and be loud, which can affect neighbours’ quality of life.

He told the licensing committee there had been issues with crowds and disorder outside takeaways in recent years. He added that alcohol can lead to violence in some instances, pointing to a double-stabbing in June.

No residents opposed the application, though the council suggested this may be due to limited advertising in local papers.

Amin said the application was “rooted in genuine community demand”. He said a late-night food venue near the station would be “convenient” for shift workers, commuters, and people heading home after an evening out.

He added that he would hire security if there were persistent issues with disorderly patrons.

In a bid to reduce disruption, the owner told the committee he had already installed soundproof walls in the kitchen and charcoal grills to reduce smells.

Though he said he did not expect delivery drivers to “linger,” an officer from the council’s public protection team questioned how much control the takeaway could exercise over third-party drivers.

The owner also accepted a string of further conditions imposed by the Met. They included installing a “comprehensive” CCTV system, keeping an incident log, and training staff on record-keeping.

These extra rules are commonly enforced on businesses across London in a bid to keep the risk of disorder down.

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