Licence surrendered for St Helen’s Street shop - ahead of Ipswich Borough Council review

Ipswich Borough Council was set to discuss the future of Special Food Future, in St Helen's Street, earlier today over multiple breaches of licensing conditions as well as crime and disorder allegations.

The council meeting ended up being cancelled, however, after the licence was surrendered.

The council papers prepared for the meeting, however, suggested the licence holder, Saman Rashid, was being used for what was described 'as a front' for Emdad and Didar Hoshyar.

The report said Mr Rashid stopped being the designated premises supervisor on October 12.

In December, the authority was contacted by a man who said he was Mr Rashid, asking for a replacement personal licence badge.

When the man was directed to collect the badge from Grafton House, he claimed to not have identification on him.

According to Debbie Devine, a senior licensing officer, Emdad Hashyar admitted to being the person who asked for the badge and the one who turned up to collect it.

Three days later, council officers visited Mr Rashid’s home address only to meet a woman who said she had never heard of him — another nearby resident of 11 years said the same.

Ms Devine’s report to the council concluded: “It is believed that Mr Rashid is not involved in the running of the premises at all. He does not live at the address licensing holds for him, the telephone number and email address for Mr Rashid are actually those of Emdad Hoshyar.

“It is believed that Mr Rashid is a front for both Didar Hoshyar and Emdad Hoshyar."

Officers had also advised to apply for a minor variation of the premises' plan after numbers 12 and 14 in St Helen's Street were knocked through into one premises, but an application was never received.