Kebab shop owners try to carve out even longer opening hours

Elif, at 529 Ecclesall Road, has already been under investigation by Sheffield Council's licensing officers after repeatedly opening later than its permitted hours of 9am to 11.30pm, Monday to Saturday and 9am until 11pm on Sundays.

In November 2005, the takeaway's owners were refused planning permission to extend Elif's opening hours until 12.30am during the week and 2.30am on weekends and, earlier this year, another application to extend the hours until 1.30am Sunday to Thursday and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays was refused.

Despite this, however, another application has been submitted to extend the opening times. This is set to be considered by Sheffield Council's planning board today.

Planners have recommended that the application is again refused – on the grounds of an "unacceptable level of noise disturbance" to neighbours.

Altogether 14 letters of objection have been submitted in relation to the application, from individual residents as well as the Botanical Area Community Association, the Broomhill Green Party and the Botanical Gate Community Association.

A spokesman for the Botanical Area Community Association said: "The extended hours would result in unacceptable noise and disturbance to occupiers of residential properties, as a result of people arriving and hanging around late at night.

"The extended opening would also increase the amount of general littering and other anti-social activity.

"We would be very concerned about the likely knock-on effect if Elif were to have this application accepted, in that other premises would also seek to stay open until later."

Another objector, Belinda Harrison, said: "This is primarily a residential area populated by professionals, families and the elderly. Although in choosing to live in this area we expect a certain amount of noise and disruption, there must be a compromise. This is not the city centre."

In recommending that Elif's application is refused, planners point out that numerous other applications to extend opening times at other establishments in Ecclesall Road – such as Nonna's, the Porter Brook, Felicini and La Tasca – have been refused.

The planners' report says: "Consideration must be given to the cumulative impact of a number of premises along this road applying for permission to extend their opening hours.

"The consequence of such activity would be a change in the character of the area from a daytime mixed retail, service and residential area to a late-night entertainment area."

The report adds: "On the basis of the substantial number of representations received objecting to this application and those for the previous application, as well as those at Nonna's, Walnut Club and the Porter Brook, it is considered that there is genuine concern of disamenity from the extended opening hours within the local community."

Meanwhile, plans to build a new block of apartments further up Ecclesall Road, at the Texaco petrol station, are also set to be considered today.

If the development is given the go-ahead, as recommended, two commercial units would be built on the ground floor with 10 apartments, in two storeys, above.

In their report to councillors, city planners say: "The quality of the design and appearance is considered to be good, with contemporary shop units with a predominant material of stone at the Ecclesall Road frontage."