MCDONALD'S in Walthamstow has been given permission to stay open until 3am at weekends after management backed down from an earlier bid to open 24 hours a day.
The fast food restaurant in Hoe Street had originally applied for a licence to remain open all night, seven days a week, but faced opposition from police amid concerns over crime and anti-social behaviour.
At a licence hearing on Friday (October 14), the chain reached a last-minute compromise to open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1am on other days.
Previously the branch closed at midnight or 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The council's panel agreed but on the condition that only staff with specialist training could be employed to work there late at night.
Ward Cllr Clare Coghill, who opposed the 24 hour application, said: "In the circumstances I think it's quite a good compromise. It's a world away from being open all the time."
She added that the chain did not want to put door staff outside the restaurant for fear they themselves could become a target for anti-social behaviour.
Waltham Forest Police's licensing officer PC Donna Willcox opposed the chain opening 24 hours a day, claiming it would attract "undesirables" to the area late at night and overstretch resources.
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