East Lothian councillors reject Pepe’s Piri Piri late licence in Musselburgh
East Lothian councillors have rejected Pepe’s Piri Piri’s bid for later opening hours in musselburgh after police told the Licensing Sub Committee they had been called out 17 times in the past year. The refusal keeps the High Street takeaway’s trading hours unchanged.
The application sought permission to stay open until midnight through the week and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Police linked the 17 call-outs to youth anti-social behaviour, and said there had also been theft, an assault on a member of the public outside the store, an assault on staff and vandalism to the business.
Atif Ali hearing
Atif Ali’s agent told councillors there had been no trouble at the High Street business since March and no public objections to the application. The agent also said the owner was not minded to comply with a police request for trained door security because of the high costs, but would do so if need was shown.
The council’s Licensing Sub Committee heard evidence of anti-social behaviour and disturbances before reaching its decision. Provost John McMillan chaired the meeting and said he found it difficult to support the application even as an experiment.
Lee-Anne Menzies on Musselburgh
Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies told the meeting, “I feel for you and your staff. I’ve witnessed a couple of concerns in the High Street, and it’s not just at your store and against your staff.” She added, “I don’t believe the late opening of this or any fast food takeaway is going to add to the benefit of the people of Musselburgh.”
She said extending the closing time to 1am would “kick the issues two hours down the line.” McMillan said, “I think if we had evidence longer than March it would have helped. I do hope that behaviour in Musselburgh High Street will change.”
Licensing Sub Committee
McMillan said, “I think, given the situation and I know the feelings of many residents and all of the councillors, I find it difficult to support this even as an experiment, so I too would not vote to grant at this time.” For customers and staff, the decision leaves Pepe’s Piri Piri operating under its current hours while the council has already recorded the safety concerns that drove the refusal.
