A PIZZA restaurant in Westbury has been granted permission to operate its delivery services late at night following a tension-filled licensing meeting at Trowbridge County Hall.
The applicant had requested a licence to run his business, Caprinos, located on Edward Street in the centre of the town, until the early hours of the morning on Thursdays, Fridays and over the weekend.
Two town councillors and a representative of Sandoes Chartered Surveyors, which operates on the same street, attended the hearing on Thursday 1st February 1 to object to the plans.
Cllr Gordon King, representing Westbury Town Council, said that if approved, the licence could increase noise and disturbance in a community that is already “plagued” by antisocial behaviour. He also noted that extending the hours of the business would be an endorsement of “unhealthy food”.
He said, “Westbury Town Council is concerned that pizza is an attractive combination of super-saturated fat, stuffed with simple carbohydrates, salts and sugars. This has the potential to become, for many, a food staple leading to long-term health conditions.”
Cllr King was told that the healthiness of the food was not relevant to a licensing discussion.
Westbury councillor Matthew Dean also objected, saying the potential noise and light disturbance would be “significant” and “unwelcome”. He described the new opening times as an hour at which “most ordinary people would think about going to sleep.”
Both councillors claimed they had received many objections from local residents, but neither presented these to the committee.
Cllr Allison Bucknell, who chaired the meeting and had to remind participants several times to keep their statements within the sphere of licensing, asked for the evidence of these complaints.
Cllr Dean responded, “I’m giving that evidence to you, verbally, now.” He also accused the chair of the meeting of “interrupting people as they make their representations.”
Julian Sandoe from Sandoes Chartered Surveyors, the management agent of the adjoining Angel Mill complex, also attended the hearing.
He said, “Caprinos’ presence already results in discarded pizzas and pizza boxes within the complex and smeared pizza on the walls to the walkways, which we have to arrange to have cleared up and I fear that increasing their trading hours will result in more of the same.”
Mr Sancolcar, the director of Caprinos, was present to support his application. He clarified that he was seeking permission to operate an extended delivery service and would not allow customers on the premises during those times.
He also argued that despite putting up a notice to explain the licensing application, only one resident had complained. After coming to an agreement with Mr Sancolcar, this individual since withdrew their objection.
Mr Sancolcar said, “Nobody else has any objections. Everybody in the building, most of them I know personally, they have never complained.”
He added, “We are growing, we need to market ourselves.” He noted that his motive was to attract more customers, not to cause any issues for his neighbours.
After deliberation, the licence was granted, with modified hours.
Mr Sancolcar had requested permission to work between the hours of 11pm and midnight from Monday to Wednesday, 11pm and 1am on Thursdays, 11pm and 3am from Friday to Saturday, and 11pm and 2am on Sundays.
The committee decided Caprinos will be allowed to operate a delivery service from 11pm until midnight from Sundays through to Wednesdays and until 1am on Thursdays.
The latest hours included in the licence will be from 11pm to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. No customer access to the premises will be authorised after 11pm.
