A cafe has been given permission to serve alcohol until midnight every day – despite fears it could tempt recovering addicts living just yards away.

Metropolis in Preston Road, Brighton, can now serve alcohol seven days a week – a decision which has been greeted with horror by the managers of a neighbouring treatment centre.

Despite a plea it would “seriously undermine” Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) Recovery Project’s work, members of a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing committee said it had no choice but to grant the application at a town hall meeting yesterday.


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The proposal from cafe owner Hasan Tanc to serve alcohol from 10am to midnight every day at the venue was opposed by the neighbouring 26-bedroom residential treatment centre for men and women in the early stages of recovery from addiction.

In submitting an objection Brian Sudway, manager of Recovery Centre BHT, said: “I have spoken with some of our residents and they feel very strongly that this would be extremely counterproductive to their desire to establish and maintain a recovery focus.”

He added the “associated sights and sounds” would be visible and audible to clients throughout the day and night.

He said it would “seriously undermine the very sensitive work being done to help people who have just started on the path to abstinence-based recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs”.

Three other people also opposed the plans.

Writing to the local authority, Nick Hirst, of Preston Road, Brighton, said: “As a neighbour, I have enjoyed peace and quiet for the last 22 years until six months ago when Mr Tanc acquired the premises during which time I have been kept awake on at least three occasions.”

But, after the application was approved, Coun Dee Simson, chairman of the council’s licensing panel, said: “Unfortunately there was nothing in the policy that gave us grounds to refuse it.

“It was a really difficult one – sometimes your heart tells you one thing but your head says another.”