Bella Mia Ristorante And Pizzeria has applied for a premises licence in Maidstone town centre and is registered as a new food business at 8 Pudding Lane. Residents can comment until 28 August.

A new Italian restaurant is in the pipeline for Maidstone town centre. Bella Mia Ristorante And Pizzeria applied to Maidstone Borough Council for a premises licence on 30 July, and the application, reference 26/03298/LAPRE, is now in its public consultation period, with representations open until 28 August. (Licensing Partnership premises licence register, Maidstone)

The licensing register records the application as a new premises licence in the High Street ward, validated on 30 July, with the public notice period running from 31 July to 28 August. No representations had been recorded when the register was last extracted on 4 August.

The venue itself shows up on a second public record: the Food Standards Agency’s hygiene register lists Bella Mia Ristorante E Pizzeria as a newly registered food business at 8 Pudding Lane, ME14 1PA, with its first inspection still awaited. Pudding Lane runs between the High Street conservation area and the Fremlin Walk shopping centre, so a licensed restaurant there adds to a compact run of town centre food streets.

A second new venue is already in consultation

Timeline of Maidstone premises licence applications: The Cozy Chapter applied 14 July with consultation closing 20 August; Bella Mia applied 30 July with consultation closing 28 August
Chart by Maidstone Live.

Bella Mia is the second brand-new premises licence application in the town centre this summer. The Cozy Chapter, reference 26/03082/LAPRE, also in the High Street ward, applied on 14 July; its application was validated on 23 July and its consultation window closes sooner, on 20 August. The register records no representations against it so far. (Licensing Partnership premises licence register, Maidstone)

One familiar name also appears in the latest register extract: Five Guys applied on 3 August to vary its existing premises licence, reference 26/03344/LAPMV, a minor variation rather than a new licence. The burger chain’s Maidstone branch trades at 60 Earl Street. The register does not say what the variation covers.

How to have your say

Premises licence applications cover the sale of alcohol, late night refreshment and regulated entertainment. While an application is in its notice period, anyone can make a representation to the licensing authority, Maidstone Borough Council, whose licensing service is run through the Licensing Partnership. Representations must relate to the four licensing objectives: preventing crime and disorder, public safety, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm.

You can look up either application by its reference on the Licensing Partnership public register. If nobody objects, a new premises licence is normally granted as applied for; if valid representations are made, the application goes to a licensing committee hearing.

What it means for you

For most residents this is good news in plain terms: two new venues are working towards opening in the town centre rather than leaving units empty. If you live near Pudding Lane or the High Street and have concerns about noise, hours or street disorder, the window to say so formally closes on 20 August for The Cozy Chapter and 28 August for Bella Mia; after that, the decision is effectively made on the papers. If you are planning a first visit once they open, our parking in Maidstone guide covers the nearest town centre car parks.

Sources

Image: Looking along Pudding Lane, Maidstone by Les Chatfield, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Chart by Maidstone Live.