Popular burger restaurant denied licence to open until 2am

Mahmoods burger restaurant on Oak Lane had hoped to get a later licence, with one of the men who runs the business telling a panel of councillors that Bradford was a “late night city.”

But Bradford Council’s Licensing Panel also heard from Environmental Health officers, who said they had received numerous noise complaints about the business – and that it had been operating without a late-night licence since 2021.

Businesses need a licence to serve hot food after 11pm. Mahmoods previously had a licence to open until 1am, and the panel was told it currently opens until midnight.

The meeting, held in Bradford City Hall, heard that the branch had previously been run by a company that was dissolved in 2021.

The branch was taken over by the current franchisee immediately after. Although the new company continued paying fees to Bradford Council, its operators did not realise that the licence needed to be signed over from the previous company. This did not happen.

The panel was told by officers that this meant the business had effectively been running without a late night licence since 2021, and so should have been closing no later than 11pm during this period.

Azmat Khan, representing Mahmoods, said: “We have been trading there for over a decade.

“We had a licence to open to 1am. The issues Environmental Health have come up with – they date back to 2016. There have been no recent problems. We are an integral part of the community, we’ve been there for so long.”

The restaurant is part of a development of six shops and nine residential units that was approved in 2004.

An application to convert one of the shops into a restaurant was approved in 2009.

Bradford City Hall (Image: T&A)

Charlotte Caygill, Environmental Health officer, pointed out that when the restaurant plans were approved, a condition was that it should not open past midnight.

Two recent planning applications to extend the opening times had been refused, with planners concerned about the impact of late night trading on neighbouring residents. She pointed out that as well as nearby homes, there were flats above the business.

She added: “We’ve had complaints that the business is opening until 2.30am onwards. The business hasn’t shown a great record of compliance. They have not dealt with noise complaints until we’ve intervened. We’re not convinced they’d control customers or staff if they open later.”

She told members of incidents the Environmental Health department had been involved in, including complaints over noisy extraction units, an alarm that kept going off over a period of several days and noisy staff.

Members were told that there were reports of waste being collected at 3.30am on one occasion. On another there were reports of staff banging bin lids at 3am. Mrs Caygill said: “It was thought this was in retaliation to complaints being made.”

Councillor Carol Thirkill (Lab, Clayton and Fairweather Green) asked if the complaints had come from people living in the flats above. She was told complaints had come from homes to the rear of the business.

Mr Khan said: “The flats have never been occupied.”

On hearing that purpose-built flats had been empty for over a decade, Cllr Thirkill said: “That’s ridiculous.”

Summing up the issues her department had with the business, Mrs Caygill said: “We have low confidence they will act in response to any complaint. Residents have complained to me that the business has no respect for local people.

“Myself and the planning department believe this take away is in the wrong location to open until 2am.”

Mr Khan said: “We’ve been trading at this location for so many years.

“I understand we’ve had some issues. Most of the complaints have come from a single gentleman. Over time we’ve built better relationships with that person.

“It seems like Environmental Health want us to pick up the business and go somewhere else. We can’t do that. The issue they’ve spoken about are in the past.

“We’re a family restaurant. Bradford is a late-night culture. People eat late at night and work late at night.”

After a deliberation the panel agreed to grant the business a late licence, but only until midnight.