A new Indian restaurant in Southampton will be allowed to sell alcohol to customers, getting rid of a previous 'bring your own booze scheme'.

Mumbai Street Kitchen in Bedford Place is set to open in the premises which was previously home to Mauritian establishment Lakaz Maman.

The new business is led by Sufian Tarafdar, whose family has a long history of running restaurants in the city.

His own direct experience in the hospitality industry includes running Café Fumée at Telephone House in High Street.

Mr Tarafdar’s application to supply alcohol and play recorded music from 11am to 11pm was approved by Southampton City Council’s licensing sub-committee at a meeting on Wednesday, April 24.

The sub-committee was told the arrangement at the premises when it operated as a restaurant in the past involved guests bringing their own alcohol.

Mr Tarafdar said having a licence to sell alcohol would be easier to regulate with no option for people to bring their own drinks into the restaurant.

Outlining why he had put in the application, Mr Tarafdar said: “It is just a little bit of extra help to keep the doors open.

“My doors have been closed since January. I am still having to pay rent every month at the moment, which is a struggle.

“It would be a shame to see other businesses open and close, open and close, rather than having something consistent.

“It is ideal for the customer rather than having to go across the road (to a shop) and bring their own alcohol in.”

He said he had been in the hospitality trade all of his life. His father ran a restaurant in Bedford Place for more than 20 years as well as an eatery in Lyndhurst for three decades.

Five residents from nearby Thorners Court in Henstead Road submitted the same objection to the application.

They said Bedford Place was already “saturated” with premises serving or selling alcohol.

“The adjacent roads are residential and every night the residents have to put up with anti-social behaviour from patrons of the local licensed establishments,” the objectors said.

Mr Tarafdar said he wanted to work with the community and explained his experiences in dealing with guests who want to consume excess alcohol.

Conditions had been agreed by the applicant with police and environmental health.

A decision notice said: “The sub-committee formed the view that the applicant had lengthy, good experience in running restaurants and believed the premises would be responsibly and well run. Conditions provide for signage requesting that patrons leave quietly.

“However, beyond that the premises is not responsible for what those patrons may then do or where they may then go.”