A restaurateur has criticised councillors for denying him a late licence despite police raising no objection.
Faro Eslamieh, who owns The Old Fire Station, in High Street, Brentford, applied to extend the bar and restaurant's opening hours to 12.30am during the week and 1.30am at weekends.
Members of Hounslow Council's licensing panel rejected his application at a meeting on August 4 after hearing from members of the public who complained about music blaring from the venue and fights taking place outside.
But Mr Eslamieh claims residents' accounts were inaccurate and the hearing was unfair. He says councillors gave too much weight to evidence from a "handful" of residents and too little to police records, which showed there had been hardly any crimes recorded there.
Police records show there have only been four crimes reported at the pub in the last three years, including a stolen mobile and damage to a door.
Mr Eslamieh claims one officer told him it was one of the "cleanest sheets" he had ever seen for a licensed premises.
However, eight local residents and two ward councillors had raised concerns that extending the opening hours could lead to an increase in antisocial behaviour, crime and noise nuisance in and around the premises.
Two residents, who claimed to be speaking for a number of their neighbours, told councillors at the meeting they had endured noise from the venue since it began operating 13 years ago. They also spoke of a number of fights in and around the premises.
The council's pollution control team said it had served several noise abatement notices on the premises but it remained a "major source of ongoing public nuisance".
The most recent complaints were about a private party held on June 20, when the panel heard ID was not checked, though Mr Eslamieh denied any alcohol had been sold to minors that night. He insisted it was an isolated incident.
Mr Eslamieh said: "It is sad to witness councillors taking the side of a handful of resident objectors, without examining the substance of these objections, instead of supporting local businesses."
He claimed he had spent £460,000 restoring the distinctive red brick building. But without a late licence he said he risked going the way of so many other failed bars and restaurants, having already lost a number of bookings because the venue was not open later.
But Councillor Richard Foote, cabinet member for community protection, said he felt the panel had made the right decision after listening to "substantial" evidence about public safety and noise nuisance.
"We will always listen to local residents' concerns and where there is clear evidence of anti-social behaviour, we do what we can to stamp it out and improve people's quality of life," he added.
"The council has tried to help Mr Eslamieh in the past to reduce the noise levels and fighting but he has not followed our advice."
