McDonald’s Leeds: New Headingley restaurant promises body cameras and panic buttons in bid for Otley Run midnight licence
McDonald’s will find out if it can open until midnight on a notorious pub crawl route following a licensing hearing.
A vacant shop is being converted at the site, close to pubs on the Otley Run, which draws thousands of people to the area at weekends.
Leeds City Council received 43 objection letters, including from ward councillors and Ash Road Area Residents’ Association.
Fears were raised that opening every day until midnight would exacerbate anti-social behaviour on the crawl.
Barrister Ben Williams, representing McDonald’s, said: “We can well understand the strength of feeling in what has become a very unique area in Leeds.
“It’s a perfectly sound application. You are dealing with an established operator.”
McDonald’s would already be allowed to open until 11pm at the Otley Road restaurant.
A “late night refreshment” licence to allow serving until midnight was discussed by councillors at the hearing at Leeds Civic Hall on Tuesday (July 22)
Labour councillor James Gibson, chairing the hearing, said there had been violent incidents among customers at the city centre McDonald’s on Lower Briggate.
He said: “Lots of people are going there intoxicated and it’s leading to problems.”
Mr Williams said CCTV, body cameras and panic buttons would be used to keep staff safe.
He said: “I don’t accept that we are a magnet for problems.”
A list of conditions to prevent public nuisance was already agreed with the council and West Yorkshire Police.
They included children being supervised after 9pm, checks being made to discourage loitering outside and a telephone number for the manager being made public.
McDonald’s was told it would receive a written decision in five days.