Sushi bar wrangles with council over licence

By Emma Eversham

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Royal borough of kensington and chelsea

Sushi bar wrangles with council over licence
The owner of Portobello Road sushi bar Ukai is challenging his local council over the type of licence he needs to operate it under

The fate of a London sushi bar will be decided at a public inquiry later this month following its owner’s decision to challenge the council over the type of licence it needs.

Abbas Moaven, the founder and owner of Ukai, has operated the Portobello Road branch under an A1 licence since it opened in 2006, but has now been ordered to apply for an A3 restaurant licence by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) council.

Moaven, who has three outlets of Ukai in London, argues that his sushi bars should be able to operate under the same licence as a sandwich bar because the food is not cooked. 

“Reluctantly, we are having to take RBKC Council to a tribunal, simply to determine if a sushi bar can operate under the same criteria as a sandwich bar,” he said.

“This is in spite of the council’s own findings in 1987 that a sushi bar falls within Class A1 of Town & Country Planning, which Ukai’s premises currently enjoy. Sushi is not cooked - like sandwiches - so why should it not operate under the same status?”

A spokesman for RBKC said it had been forced to intervene, because Ukai had not applied for planning permission for a change of use from a shop to restaurant when it opened.

He said: “The Royal Borough takes this very seriously, as our planning policies seek to protect retail uses on the Portobello Road, in order to preserve the vitality of this unique shopping street and market. The case is being heard at a public inquiry on 24 March in front of an independent Planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State, and until that time, it would be inappropriate for the Royal Borough to comment further”.

Moaven said he would fight hard to keep his existing licence and has called on the support of residents, MPs and even London mayor Boris Johnson for his case.

He said: “We have had to work hard to open up a dialogue to help resolve and find solutions to this grey area, however, we have not had the support from the council you would expect, especially in a recession of this magnitude. We have gone from looking to grow our business – to now facing closure. We cannot understand why we have been singled out.”

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