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Jasper's kebab house in Canterbury bids to extend alcohol licence

06:00, 25 December 2019

updated: 08:04, 25 December 2019

Worried residents fear their streets could be beset with litter, late-night noise and rowdiness after a kebab house launched a bid to extend its alcohol licence.

Jasper’s in Church Street, Canterbury, has applied for permission to deliver booze and serve takeaway drinks until 3am most days.

Jasper's Kebab House in Church Street (Picture: Paul Amos)
Jasper's Kebab House in Church Street (Picture: Paul Amos)

The restaurant says it wants to offer the alcohol through companies such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

However, the proposals have left locals fretting that their evenings and sleep could be disturbed by increased levels of activity at the restaurant.

Retired Teresa Daniels, from Longport, explained: “It’s in the middle of a residential area and opposite a boarding school building.

“Having people walking around and drinking between 12am and 3am will negatively affect the quality of our lives.

“We have an awful lot of comings and goings with the delivery drivers already up until midnight, so that extra traffic would be unacceptable.

Concerned neighbours June Vassell and Teresa Daniels
Concerned neighbours June Vassell and Teresa Daniels

“And if they’re selling alcohol after midnight there will be more people tempted to come. In the summer, they’ll be standing outside and talking on the pavement.”

Mrs Daniels, 59, also believes the proposed changes would lead to bottles and cans being discarded on the pavements nearby.

June Vassell, who lives opposite the fast food joint, fears the changes could lead to a spike in drunken disagreements outside her front door.

“They’re already open until 3am and we already get noise – not necessarily from them – and an alcohol licence until 3am is only going to make that worse,” she said.

“Sometimes there are arguments out there and I think they would be increased by alcohol.”

"I’m doing this because a lot of orders have been cancelled because we don’t deliver alcohol" - Jasper's owner Behar Neziri

However, Jasper’s owner Behar Neziri insists that despite the times applied for, alcohol will only be available for collection until 1am.

The restaurant already has an alcohol licence allowing it to sell drinks on the premises between midday and midnight every day.

But Mr Neziri says that, under the new application, the restaurant would only be able to sell booze to take-away customers.

Responding to the neighbours’ worries, he said: “There’s not going to be noise because we’ve sold alcohol for many years and there haven’t been any problems.

“This licence will only be for delivery or takeaway – there will be no drinking in. The drivers don’t make noise.

“I’m doing this because a lot of orders have been cancelled because we don’t deliver alcohol.”

To view the application, visit www.canterbury.gov.uk.

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