Shisha-users can have a pint with their pipe after Corby venue is granted licence

Pizza Figaro’s in George Street, Corby, had asked the borough council’s licensing committee to grant it permission for its late-night upstairs cafe and balcony.

Shisha - a type of flavoured water pipe - is already a fixture at the popular venue but until now, the premises has not been able to open late or serve alcohol.

Despite some reservations from local businesses, Figaro’s will now be able to open until 3.30am at the weekends and until 12.30am on weekdays, and serve drinks alongside food or shisha.

PC Dave Bryan, a Northamptonshire Police licensing specialist, had raised concerns at yesterday’s (Friday, September 6) meeting that he did not want the venue to become a ‘vertical drinking’ establishment, attracting late-night drinkers from other venues keen to continue their session.

There had also been worries about noise from neighbouring businesses.

But applicant Shayan Zarein Dolab told the panel, which met in Corby yesterday that the only music would be from the TV and that he would only serve alcohol to people buying food or shisha.

He said: “It’s not our intention to make it into a club or anything like that.”

There would be a maximum of 40 people in the venue at any one time.

Granting the licence, committee chair Councillor Bob Eyles said that alcohol service must stop at 3am, that the licensee must undertake a risk assessment to see if door staff were necessary and that children should not be allowed into the venue after 9pm. Music should only be played at ‘ambient levels’ after 11pm.