Fears new Turkish restaurant will ruin Norfolk Square in Brighton

They are worried about antisocial behaviour linked to takeaway sales – especially sales of alcoholic drinks – as well issues with delivery drivers and riders.

The manager said the premises, on the corner of Western Road and Norfolk Square, Brighton, would not be a fast-food takeaway although it plans to work with a delivery company.

The restaurant would offer slow-cooked Turkish food, he told members of Brighton and Hove City Council at a licensing panel hearing.

Building work is still under way as Bulent Ekinci, 47, owner of the Meeting Place café on Hove seafront, converts the former Cubitt and West estate agent’s office.

Mr Ekinci applied for a licence to sell alcohol from 11am to 11.30pm daily and for a late-night refreshment licence, allowing him to sell food and soft drink until midnight.

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But Juliette Hunting, who chairs the Landsdowne Area Residents’ Association, said granting the premises a licence could put the area’s revival at risk.

She said Norfolk Square was in the council’s cumulative impact area where the licensing policy was aimed at restricting the number of new premises selling alcohol.

This was intended to try to curb drink-related crime, disorder and antisocial behaviour.

Norfolk Square had experienced a renaissance, she said, after the efforts of police in tackling poor behaviour and residents working to improve the gardens.

In the decades since Ms Hunting had moved into the area, she had seen the square go from a “dump” where neighbours called police daily to deal with street drinkers to a “perfect pocket park”.

Bulent Ekinci owns the Meeting Place cafe on Hove seafront

She said: “It really will destroy that little area of Norfolk Square which is an oasis in the whole area.

“There must have been millions spent by the police against antisocial behaviour to bring back Norfolk Square to a happy place.”

Sussex Police did not object to the licence application but sought conditions to ensure alcohol was served only by waiters to people seated at a table eating a meal.

Last week Mr Ekinci applied to remove a planning condition preventing the premises from being used for a food delivery service and restricting takeaways to walk-in customers only.

Ms Hunting said delivery people waiting outside takeaways were causing problems in the area.

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Mr Ekinci’s agent Derya Yilmaz said the company wanted to reduce the walk-in trade because the menu was more focused on fine food from the Mediterranean

Ufuk Yapici, who will manage the business, said he planned to use a delivery company, with drivers coming as the food was ready, not when the order was placed.

He said: “We would ensure to the best of our ability that no bikes are parked up idly and no cars are blocking on double yellow lines causing a danger.

“They will only turn up when the food is ready to be handed over.”

Mr Yapici said he wanted to keep Norfolk Square beautiful and he would go out himself to check for litter from the business.

The licensing panel retired to reach its verdict and should make its decision public by the end of the week.