Police have issued a warning over a “gourmet” kebab chain’s bid to keep its Newcastle operation open until 5am.
German Doner Kebab, which opened its first branch on Tyneside last year, has run into opposition from city authorities as it pushes for a major extension of its late night hours.
The Newgate Street eatery currently has to close its doors at 11pm every night, but could keep serving customers until the early hours of the morning if councillors agree to back its plans.
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Kebab shop bosses applied to Newcastle City Council to keep the city centre takeaway open until 5am, a proposal that caused major worries with Northumbria Police about escalating problems in a busy street that sits between the clubs and bars in The Gate and the Bigg Market.
A council licensing hearing on Tuesday heard that, in response, German Doner Kebab had offered to revise its plans so that walk-in takeaway customers would not be served after 1am, in-house dining and click and collect services would end at 3am, with the 5am offer only continuing for deliveries via agents like Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
That plan would mirror a deal struck between the council and nearby Taco Bell in Grainger Street last year, but is still being opposed by the police.
Sergeant Julie Cottiss told the council’s licensing sub-committee that having another takeaway on the “very challenging” Newgate Street would mean more people loitering around the area and add to its status as a “flashpoint” for disorder and violence.
She added that, while Taco Bell is ”tucked around the corner” from the area of highest footfall, the kebab shop would be impossible for revellers to avoid as they go between Newcastle’s most popular late night drinking spots.
Solicitor Sarah Smith, representing German Doner Kebab, said the chain offers a “gourmet approach to traditional kebabs” and a high-end offer that is a “million miles away” from a stereotypical kebab shop.
She accepted that Newgate Street is busy but said it was “manageable”, adding that the company may not have made its £1m investment into its Newcastle branch if it had known that securing a late night licence would be so problematic.
Ms Smith said it was unfair not to encourage options in the city centre late at night for people who don’t drink – telling councillors that the restaurant attracts patrons coming from cinema or theatre performances, as well as workers including police officers and NHS staff.
She said: “It is wrong to discourage people from our city centre and deny them a social experience simply because they do not consume alcohol. These types of venue are important to the cityscape we are trying to create.”
Jonathan Bryce, the city council’s licensing boss, agreed with the police that the Taco Bell case is “not wholly similar” and proposed a compromise of a 2am cut-off point for inside dining and click and collect that would “strike the necessary balance”, something Ms Smith was happy to agree to.
However, police maintained that only delivery services should be allowed after 1am.
Force solicitor Hayley Hebb claimed that click and collect could easily be used by people drinking at a neighbouring pub or bar – though Ms Smith denied this would be a problem, saying the whole point of the system is that customers “don’t wish to loiter” while waiting for food.
The council will issue a decision on then licence application within five working days.
