Uxbridge Road Cafe Eroma Has Service Hours Slashed by Council

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Residents celebrate as Eroma told it must close by midnight

Residents in the area around Hopgood Street and Macfarlane Road areas are celebrating after a troublesome local cafe has had its hours of service restricted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

Eroma, which was open 24 hours a day, has been told it can no longer serve food and drinks in the early hours of the morning.

The café, on the corner of Uxbridge Road and Hopgood Street, had its late-night licensing hours cut dramatically by Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s licensing sub-committee last week, after police called for a licensing review.

Local police had called for its hours to be stripped back following a history of violence at the premises, including three stabbings and several violent assaults in the last nine months. These included a customer being stabbed at the café with a knife from the premises’ own kitchen.

PS Stuart Ratcliffe, who is the licensing sergeant for H&F, says: "Police have discussed issues with residents of Hopgood Street. The premises have been the location of four serious assaults in the last nine months. These have included three stabbings. This is unacceptable, especially given the close residential nature of the surrounding roads."

PS Ratcliffe also highlighted the issue of constant litter from the premises, excessive noise from customers and cars, with neighbours being woken up at all hours and said that the violence has made residents living nearby very frightened. Residents backed the police and also voiced their concerns about the venue, with several comments from local people being read out at the hearing as evidence.

The Shepherds Bush venue was ordered to cut its ‘late night refreshment’ licensing hours to 11pm and midnight, from Monday to Sunday, at the sub-committee’s meeting on Wednesday, November 28. This had been scaled back from the previous 11pm to 5am, from Monday to Sunday. 

Three conditions were also placed on the café, which are that:

• CCTV should be installed and be in use at all times when the shop is open, and that all images are kept for a minimum of 31 days.
• Copies of CCTV recordings are made available to police and the council within 48 hours of being asked; and
• An incident log is kept at the café with full details of any incidents of note that might happen there.

Macfarlane Road Residents Association described the decision as "good news" and added: "Special thanks to the LBHF and licensing PS Ratcliffe and all who have helped to bring this about and all the residents who have assisted by reporting the problems repeatedly over the last few years."

The licence holder of the sandwich bar, Riza Yeldan, now has 21 days from receiving the licensing decision letter to appeal the decision. The café is also appealing against the council’s refusal to allow it to switch its licence from a sandwich bar to a restaurant.

Police have also called for a licensing review of the bar next door to Eroma, FM Bar, and that will be heard next Tuesday, on December 11.

 

 

December 6, 2012