A CITY centre kebab shop has been handed a new licence to open until the early hours but only after it was discovered it had been running without one for five years.
A plan put forward by Worcester Kebab House, in Shaw Street, Worcester would allow the takeaway to open until 3.30am on Friday and Saturday, 3am between Tuesday and Thursday, 2am every Monday and 1am on Sundays.
The takeaway had been running for five years without a licence after the company that held the previous licence, Superdeal Trading Ltd, was dissolved in 2017.
The council did not find out about the mistake until the new licence was applied for in May.
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Concerned residents in Shaw Street had called for the late-night plan to be turned down saying it would contribute to a rise in anti-social behaviour and the amount of litter dumped on the busy city centre route.
Nevertheless, Worcester City Council’s licensing subcommittee approved the plan at a meeting in the Guildhall on Wednesday (July 20).
Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) said no formal complaints had been made against Worcester Kebab House and its licence fees had been paid throughout the five years it was open without a licence.
Worcester Kebab House owner Ismail Tehagac said he was unaware that his late-night licence lapsed when previous company Superdeal Trading was dissolved. He admitted he had made a mistake and apologised.
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WRS said it was not responsible for checking the status of companies holding licences and it was down to Mr Tehagac to have made the council aware the company was dissolving and transferred to a new company Worcester Kebab Ltd headed by his nephew Vakkas Tengiz.
The objections from 15 residents in Shaw Street said they were “greatly concerned” by the plan and were worried it would “have significant detrimental impacts on the environment and the local community.”
The residents also said they had faced problems with litter and rodents and were concerned by a potential rise in anti-social behaviour.
“Our experiences so far have been horrendous due to groups of people assembling outside the Kebab House at all hours of the night, smoking, chatting, eating and waiting for orders,” the objection said.
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