Restaurant owners: 'midnight curry curfew will destroy our businesses in Brick Lane'

 
Fears: Azmal Hussain outside one of his restaurants
Nigel Howard
Anna Dubuis5 February 2014

Restaurant owners in London’s world-famous Brick Lane today said a midnight curfew would destroy the city’s curry capital.

Council officers have visited the 60 curry houses along the culinary hotbed in recent days warning that they must stop serving at midnight or face a £20,000 fine.

A letter from Tower Hamlets Council warned that even eateries with licences to serve food and drink beyond midnight must now abide by local planning rules which insist upon midnight closing to cut down on “anti-social behaviour”.

But business owners claim they rely on late-night trade for up to a third of their total income - and the after-hours ban would force many to close their kitchens for good.

Azmal Hussain, who owns four Brick Lane restaurants licensed to sell alcohol and food to either 1am or 2am, said he has been told to stop taking orders at 11pm and have everyone out by midnight.

Iconic: restaurants in Brick Lane (Picture: Nigel Howard)
Nigel Howard

Mr Hussain, 62, who is vice chairman of the Brick Lane Restaurateurs Association, said: “This has come completely out of the blue. We get a lot of customers during 12pm and 2am. We have no lunch trade so if we have no late night trade how can we survive?

“I predict 30 per cent of the restaurants will be gone within three months. They can’t pay their rent. If there are no restaurants Brick Lane will be nothing.”

Mohammad Ahmed, 27, who owns Curry Bazaar, said: “It’s a crisis. Our late-night curry houses are established. We have been here for 18 years and our late-night customers are good people. I don’t think my business can survive without those hours.

“About one third of our profit comes through during those hours. I run the business with my two younger brothers and I have just had twins. This is really troubling us.”

In its letter, the coucil said: “It may be your licensing hours are not the same as the opening hours specified by the planning condition. In cases such as this it is the earlier closing time that you must adhere to.”

'Crisis': Curry Bazaar owner Mohammad Ahmed (Picture: Nigel Howard)
Nigel Howard

If the owners do not comply they face fines of up to £20,000 at a magistrates’ court or an unlimited fine at a Crown Court.

A council spokesman said: “This enforcement action relates to the normal opening hours of businesses down Brick Lane. Planning enforcement officers visited all licenced premises in January, as part of partnership work with the police to reduce anti-social behaviour.

“Bar owners and restaurants were reminded of their responsibility to operate within their official opening hours, which are restricted by official planning conditions. Formal planning enforcement notices would be served to any premises that continue to open beyond their approved opening hours.”

But Labour councillor Helal Abbas criticised the council’s crackdown.

He said: “These restaurants have been operating these hours for 15 to 20 years. We should be working with small businesses rather than taking a sledgehammer to them. The council has decided to come down heavy-handed in an area that is suffering. This is going to hit hard on a very small group of people.”

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