An independent pizza company’s ambition to deliver alcohol with food into the early hours has been pegged back by councillors.
Filippo Romanelli, of Romanelli’s Pizza Company, had applied to Milton Keynes Council for a licence to sell alcohol between 11am and 2am from Sunday to Thursday and 11 to 5am on Fridays and Saturdays.
But local councillor Zoe Nolan (Lab, Loughton and Shenley) objected to the application, and a meeting of Milton Keynes Council’s licensing sub-committee was called to decide the issue.
Cllr Nolan told the committee of three of her colleagues that she thought the proposed hours were excessive, and that the application could cause litter problems in the local parks. She was also concerned that children could get hold of the booze as orders have to be paid for online.
Romanelli’s is based close to Roni’s Car Wash, off Watling Street, in Elfield Park, and the committee was told that there had been no complaints during the last 12 months.
Mr Romanelli said he wanted to increase sales so he had applied for a premises licence to sell beer, wine and prosecco with his food offer.
Cllr Nolan said: “I’m very pleased that we have a local pizza business, I know many people who love pizza and I want to support local businesses especially in this very difficult time.
“The most worrying thing for me is the opening times, I think opening until 5am on a Sunday morning is excessive.
“I don’t know of any local residents who want a service at that time and I am concerned about serving alcohol so late.”
Licensing officer Adam Ward said Mr Romanelli would close the shutters and turns off the light at night, but keep the kitchen open so the business could make deliveries, but not offer a collection service.
Mr Romanelli said he would train his five drivers to make sure they did not deliver to young people, and the council could check this.
Mr Ward said: “What the committee has to decide is, is there evidence that the licensing objectives will be undermined by Mr Romanelli’s operation.
“Unless the applicant can be found to be part of encouraging problems it’s very hard without any evidence to hold Mr Romanelli responsible for issues,” he said.
Committee chairman Cllr Mick Legg (Lab, Bletchley West), announced the decision to grant a licence for selling alcohol from Sunday to Thursday 11am to midnight and from 11am to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.
As well as limiting the hours to that time they also slapped several conditions on the trader.
Mr Romanelli will be allowed to only sell wine and beer with food, and he must take steps to deal with litter, to stop collections and offer deliveries only after 10pm, and to build in a delay of 20 minutes between online orders and them being collected.
