Croydon neighbourhood 'already teeming with rats' as residents oppose Burger King plan

Residents of Norbury say a Burger King delivery kitchen extending its hours to as late as 3am could lead to more rats and dangerous driving in their neighbourhood. Those living on Craignish Avenue have said that their area already suffers from a number of problems, caused in part by the concentration of food outlets on the London Road.

Now, they say, an application to make an existing Burger King kitchen a late night operation running into the early hours of the morning could make the area a 'no go' area for cars and pedestrians trying to avoid moped drivers. Burger King has applied to Croydon Council for a licence to extend the hours of operation of its Norbury Trading Estate delivery kitchen, which currently runs from 10am to 11pm seven days a week.

Under the application, Burger King hopes to extend its closing hour to 2am Sunday through Thursday and 3am Friday and Saturday.

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The site would remain a delivery kitchen and would not permit customers to sit in. In a letter to the licensing committee, Burger King's solicitor Popplestone Allen said the extension would 'allow the premises to facilitate individuals (such as shift workers) who would like to order a meal for home delivery late in the evening'.

However, several Scots Estate Norbury Residents' Association (SERA) residents believe this extension would exacerbate issues they feel are already blighting their area. In an official objection letter, one SERA member laid out their concerns.

They said: "Unfortunately, there are just too many kitchens in the Norbury trading estate and on the high street that are trading until the late hours and have the provision of Deliveroo and Uber delivery. I am concerned that with the addition of another fast food chain, this will only exacerbate the problem. The council needs to do more to hold the business owners to account.

"For instance, considering where drivers can wait and pick up orders within the trading estate itself. In my opinion, there's more than enough space and this would free up parking for residents, as well as freeing up the roads."

Another added: "There are huge issues with moped delivery drivers parked on this street all hours, smoking weed and talking loudly on their phones. There is no parking available as the streets are already full to overflowing with residents' cars. Craignish Avenue is a no go area for cars trying to get to and from the high street at the best of times as it does not have enough passing spaces."

One local felt the issue of inconsiderate moped and bike drivers was so bad that they suggested 'it will take a serious accident for anyone to take notice'.

An increased vermin presence around Norbury and the trading estate was also a major concern for residents objecting to the licence extension. A number of residents spoke about how they have seen rats running around in droves in front of their houses, in the local houses, and around the back of fast-food restaurants.

One resident said: "We have severe problems with rubbish and rats in this area. Allowing a takeaway to open all night will increase this problem as sadly not all customers take their rubbish home with them."

In a joint letter to the council's licensing team, Labour Councillors Leila Ben-Hassel and Matt Griffiths expressed their concerns with the application. They called for it to be rejected because the applicants had not properly assessed the impact of increased traffic on the area.

They said: "If it is a delivery-only outlet, no information is provided as to traffic management and minimisation of the impact of delivery moped drivers in Craignish Avenue, which is already problematic in terms of traffic, parking and noise and would be worsened by the popularity of premises like Burger King."

Popplestone Allen attempted to quell these fears by insisting in their letter that all delivery drivers will be given 'clear, written instructions to use their vehicles in a responsible manner so as to not cause a nuisance to any residents or generally outside the licensed premises'.

They also said they were in talks with the trading estate's owners to improve lighting and create a no-parking zone in an attempt to minimise disturbance. The application will be heard at a Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 27.

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