Residents livid as new Derby shisha restaurant allowed late-night hours

Residents are angry that a new restaurant has been allowed to open late at night every day. “Riches” is set to open on City Road, where other businesses are located, within the Chester Green area of Derby.

Licensing documents describe the venue as: "A restaurant with a bar that provides shisha. That caters also to those looking for a drink past 12am and a good atmosphere".

But, to residents’ dismay, Derby City Council has granted it a licence to open until 1.30am seven days a week – prompting concerns people living in nearby homes will have their sleep disrupted because of noise.

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The city council has in fact reduced the venue’s intended opening hours in spite of the concerns. The owners wanted it to stay open until 3am - but residents say the council’s decision “undermines” their concerns.

Bosses of the new restaurant, owned by MYG Industries, applied to Derby City Council for the licenced premises to open between 12pm and 3am Monday to Sunday, with sale of alcohol between 12pm and 2.30am, also seven days a week. They also applied for a regulated entertainment licence to play live or recorded music should it be required.

The intended late-night hours caused outrage from City Road residents who were worried the new venue would cause a noise nuisance and stop residents from sleeping.

Derby City Council’s environmental protection team also stated concern about the possibility of late-night noise. The department requested the owners to implement revised opening hours of between 12pm and 12am Monday to Sunday “in respect to prevention of public nuisance”.

But it appears the council received no amendment from MYG Industries, meaning a licensing hearing was heard on Thursday, November 21, between all interested parties. At the hearing MYG Industries insisted the new venue would not be a nightclub.

The applicant’s legal representative Mr Gibson said: “Is this premise a nightclub? A minimum of 70 per cent of the floor space should be allocated for the use of customers sitting at the premises. That leaves 30 per cent of the remaining space to be used as walkways for staff, the counter, the bar.

“There is no room for dancing. It is not a nightclub, councillors.”

Derby City Council’s general licensing sub-committee decided to grant the licence based on modifications including “the opening times for which the premises licence will be issued are Monday to Sunday 12:00hrs – 01:30hrs”.

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The committee also allowed sale of alcohol for consumption on and off the premises between 12pm and 1am and “Live Music, recorded music and late-night refreshment, indoors only” from Monday to Sunday between 11pm and 1am.

The decision notice said: “The General Licensing Sub Committee (GLSC) heard from the applicant’s representative, Mr Gibson, who addressed the other parties’ concerns that Riches would not be operating as a nightclub, but as a sheesh restaurant. Mr Gibson reiterated that the responsible authority in respect of crime and disorder, namely the police, had not sought to oppose the application and that his client had already agreed to the conditions put in place by Derbyshire Constabulary.

“Mr Gibson confirmed that previous complaints were not in respect of his client, but were made before Mr Manzoor took over the operation of the business. The GLSC were reminded, by Mr Gibson, of their powers to order a review of the licence should any of the licensing objectives be undermined in the future.”

The decision has left residents fuming and worried for what may lie ahead. Resident Richard Scott, speaking after the meeting, said: “This decision undermines the trust that residents place in local governance to act in the community’s best interests.

Several local council members are very unhappy about the decision. Residents are very upset by this.”

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