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Published: 11 March 2010
by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS

PLANS to open a “family friendly” restaurant in Camden Town have been blocked amid parents’ fears it could operate like a nightclub.

Billy Reilly, former boss of the Cross venue in King’s Cross, saw his licence application for a new venture in a venue under Camden Road ­station rejected by licensing chiefs.

More than 70 people watched the proceedings in a committee room at the Town Hall as Mr Reilly’s proposals were described as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

He had asked for a licence for the arches under Camden Road railway station, which was previously Bar Fink, to serve alcohol until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights and until 11.30pm from Monday to Thursday. 

At the meeting Mr Reilly changed his application and said he would only serve alcohol with a meal, but he failed to convince the licensing panel. 

One of the main issues was the suspicion that it would be run more like a nightclub. But Mr Reilly hit back at the claims, insisting: “It’s a restaurant. All the talk and concern that it’s a bar – we’ve made it clear there’ll be no vertical drinking. The bar will be a seated area – to eat you’ll have to sit down. 

“We’re not going beyond the framework policy.”

Dozens of parents complained that an inner courtyard used for smoking was too close to their homes. 

One of them, Jo Rickards, said the site, at 47-49 Camden Road, would keep her children awake as their bedrooms face on to it. 

Another objector, Fiona Foster, described the plan as a “smokescreen” for something more raucous, and said the area around Camden Road and Bonny Street was already blighted by disruptive behaviour.

She added: “Nobody could tell us that a new premises serving alcohol would not exacerbate the ­serious problems we already face.”

Earlier Ms Foster told the hearing that open drug dealing and prostitution is prevalent in the surrounding streets. Her children, she said, also see addicts injecting heroin and smoking crack and are often woken up by revellers from nearby bars having arguments in the street.  

Licensing officials told Mr Reilly he should have spent more time discussing his applications with neighbours. The changes made to the application during the meeting were also criticised by the panel, who said Mr Reilly should go away and re-submit his proposals.

Conservative councillor Kirsty Roberts said: “I’m not happy, the information has been very sketchy.”