KFC plan approved despite objections
A KFC restaurant will open on Cardiff’s St Mary Street despite police objections.
The fast food giant submitted plans to open up on the busy street in the capital, but South Wales Police formally objected.
KFC asked for a licence for a new site at the former Papa Panda Chinese buffet restraunt.
On Friday Cardiff Council’s licencing sub-committee approved the plans subject to a number of conditions.
Minutes from the meeting show that police said they “still have concerns” over the restaraunt.
Ahead of the meeting, work was already underway and signs in the window were advertising that KFC is “coming soon”. Further signs have since been added to the building.
In an earlier letter to Cardiff Council, police asked for the licence to be rejected and if it is granted they asked for a number of conditions to be imposed, including banning anyone under 16 being served after 8pm.
The letter, dated October 16 and issued by the police’s licensing department, stated: “This objection is made under the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder. The police will object under the Cardiff Council’s Cumulative Impact Policy.”
The policy aims to prevent too many premises of a certain type in an area that could draw in large groups of people, leading to problems of crime and disorder.
On Friday KFC was granted the premises licence subject to eight agreed conditions.
The agreed conditions included: having a CCTV system installed to a standard agreed with police; a minimum of two door supervisors for part of major event days; signs asking people to leave in a “quiet orderly fashion” and staff must keep an incident record.
The condition asked for by police for a ban on anyone under 16 being served after 8pm was not included.
Minutes from the licencing sub-committee on Friday read: “[Sergeant Justin Hardwick] stated that the agreed conditions were considered to be appropriate and proportionate.
“South Wales Police still have concerns but are prepared to allow KFC to operate and implement their own policies. If those policies do not work then there may be a need to intervene.”
On Tuesday a police spokeswoman said: “We welcome the licencing subcommittee attaching eight of the nine conditions which we requested to the premises’ licence.”