Lord Pizza: ‘Dismay’ over Leeds pizza shop’s application to the council to stay open until 3.30am

Lord Pizza, on Bradford Road in Tingley, has applied to Leeds City Council for a licence to extend its current closing time from midnight by three-and-a-half hours. The takeaway also wants to sell alcohol 24/7, although sales after 3.30pm would be off the premises.

In its application form, the business insisted noise would be kept to a minimum. But the council’s environmental health unit has said round-the-clock alcohol sales may attract drunk customers and increase the chances of “raised voices.”

A licensing hearing next Tuesday will determine whether or not the extended hours are granted.

But writing to the council in advance of the hearing, one of three local people to have objected to the application said: “There a number of houses opposite and to the sides with young children, people who have to get up for work and elderly people who will wish not to be (disturbed) into the early of the morning.

“This is a reasonably quiet area considering we are on a main road and I (personally) would like to keep it that way.”

Another said they were “very surprised and slightly dismayed” by the proposal.

They wrote: “After the adjacent fish-and-chip shop closes at 9pm, the area around Lord Pizza can attract some anti-social behaviour. I fear that extending the hours when alcohol is available can only increase the likelihood and prevalance of this.”

In its application form, however, the shop said: “We operate mainly as a takeaway business with very few seats available for customers and most of our business is through deliveries. So there is no big gathering in the shop. Our shop is mainly in enclosed private property with distant neighbours, so there shouldn’t be any (concerns) regarding nuisance to our neighbours.

It added: “We don’t provide live music or (a) DJ so there isn’t any noise nuisance.”

West Yorkshire Police had also submmited an objection against the plan, but withdrew after Lord Pizza offered assurances around several licensing conditions, including CCTV. A panel of three councillors will have the final say on whether or not the licence can be extended.