Dorset restaurant owner in harassment complaint

He says the claims are unfounded and has threatened to sue unless they can provide proof.

The comments were made during a licensing hearing during which neighbours said extra activities at the premises would unsettle their lives, changing the character of the restaurant.

Several objected to the plans to allow music and films until 1am on Friday and Saturday and until midnight for the rest of the week at the Three Kings restaurant in Salisbury Street, Blandford Forum.

The business also wants to remove an existing condition which says customers must buy a 'substantial meal' in order to have a drink.

The premises is already licenced for late night drink sales until 1am Thursday to Saturday, for both on and off sales, and until 1am for the rest of the week.

The business owner, Mr Mustafa Cakir, at a licensing hearing in Dorchester, accused some neighbours of harassing him and making a series of false accusations.

“Everything I do they complain about,” he said... they say there is drug dealing. They have to prove this, otherwise I am going to sue them. Nothing happened.”

Mustafa Cakir (Image: Dorset Council)

He denied any plans to turn the business into a late-night bar or nightclub and offered neighbours his personal phone number in the event of problems.

The chairman of the panel of Dorset councillors meeting to decide whether or not to allow the extra activities and changes to the existing licence, Cllr Derek Beer, had to appeal for calm during the hearing.

The business licence already allows alcohol sales until 1am - but neighbours say allowing music and films and removing one of the existing conditions will mean more people staying longer, disturbing them.

The establishment, which has been open for eight months after converting a former chemist shop, is said to have already upset those living nearby with building works and noise late into the evening.

Owner Mr Mustafa Cakir said he wants the extra activities to be able to run occasional themed nights – such as Turkish, or Latin, and said he had no intention of having the music volume too loud.

He said he had a big premises and saw no harm in allowing people to have a drink without buying a meal which would help his profitability.

He told councillors he was considerate to neighbours and now parked his own car in the Market Place rather than nearby to avoid noise from his vehicle when he was at the restaurant.

“Why not allow people to sit down and have a beer or a glass of wine?

"The neighbours are saying I have a plan to turn it into a nightclub, but it’s not true, I don’t want that either,” he told the Dorchester licensing panel.

Mr Cakir said he was being harassed by some of the neighbours who would call Dorset Council, or the police, to complain about any noise, parking issues, or problems with the bins.

“The worst thing is they are accusing me for drugs… maybe noise happens, but I can sort that out.. I’ve got 35 years reputation in Blandford. I’ve lived in the same place 27 years and I never, ever argued with my neighbours once, but this is unacceptable,” he said.

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Two residents appeared before the hearing, neither making any allegations, other than over noise.

Mr Paul Sheen told the hearing that the area was mainly residential to the rear of the restaurant and that people would be disturbed at 1am or 2am, if the changes to the licence was allowed.

“Our concern is that it ends up as a late night drinkers bar or a nightclub… people in the area are stressed enough already with what has been going on with the building work,” he told the panel of Dorset councillors.

He said that most pubs in the town who had music events finished at 10.30pm and saw no reason why the restaurant should have music and drinking until 1am, which would attract late drinkers to the premises.

“Nobody has got an issue with the applicant having a successful business, let’s hope so, but you need to take into consideration those around it, which doesn’t seem to have been done,” said Mr Sheen.

Another neighbour, Mr James Hankins, said he had spoken to residents who were frightened to come to the hearing but objected to the extra activities and change of conditions.

He said there had been a lack of communication from the business which could have resolved many of the issues.

He said staff and customers were loud late at night, although said they probably did not realise how loud they were being and the effect they were having on families nearby, with an extractor fan occasionally running beyond midnight.

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Mr Cakir said if there were problems he would deal with them and offered to provide residents with his contact details. He also said he was prepared to agree a time limit on clearing up in the kitchen and disposing of bottles.

Said one resident in a statement: “The restaurant itself backs on to a quiet residential area with young kids, families. The 1am closing is not suitable. Considering this is a food restaurant, it's questionable that it becomes a late bar with noise pollution.”

Another said there was already noise late into the evening from an outdoor seating area, with music and people shouting, and people leaving the premises via the Bell Inn Yard and parts of the adjoining Forum Mews, both of which have cottages and houses.

Said one of those residents: “These latest proposals – avoiding the need for alcohol to be served with food and drastically extending the opening hours – effectively seeks to turn the Three Kings into a de facto nightclub. The applicant is seeking to extend opening hours – with films plus live and recorded music - to midnight for five days per week, and to 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

“This would be smack in the middle of a quiet and long-established residential area. Noise and antisocial behaviour (already an issue) would become a major problem adversely affecting all the residents.”