Havering has withdrawn the 2 October hearing on Wingstop's licence at The Brewery, Romford. The hours it asked for, why the council objected, and when it opens.
Wingstop has applied to open a restaurant at The Brewery in Romford, trading until 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Two of Havering Council’s own teams objected to those hours, and a licensing sub-committee was due to decide the application on Friday 2 October.
Updated 1 October: Havering has marked that hearing withdrawn. Details below.
Wingstop Romford: the hearing is off
The council’s meeting page for the sub-committee now reads “WINGSTOP, Licensing Sub-Committee - Friday, 2nd October, 2026 10.30 am, WITHDRAWN”, and the council’s October calendar lists it the same way (Havering Council, Licensing Sub-Committee, 2 October 2026). So councillors will not sit on the application on Friday.
The council has not said why. Under the licensing hearing rules, a hearing can be dropped when every party agrees it is not needed, usually because the applicant has accepted shorter hours or extra conditions and the objectors have withdrawn. It is also dropped if the applicant withdraws the application. Nothing published so far says which happened here, or what hours, if any, have been agreed. We have not seen a decision notice and will add the licensed hours when one appears.
When does Wingstop Romford open?
The only date given so far is the end of October. That comes from The Brewery’s centre manager, Stuart Wilson, quoted by the Romford Recorder: “Wingstop is due to open at The Brewery at the end of October, with promotional vinyls going up this week” (Romford Recorder). Wingstop UK has not published an opening date for Romford itself.
The unit is 11A The Brewery, RM1 1AU, part of the former TGI Fridays. The applicant is Lemon Pepper Holdings Ltd. The council received the application on 11 August (Havering Council, licensing officer’s report).
What Wingstop has asked for
- Alcohol: 10am to midnight, seven days a week, on and off the premises
- Late-night hot food: 11pm to midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 11pm to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays
- Opening hours: 10am to 12.30am Sunday to Thursday, and 10am to 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays
The application says alcohol will be sold only alongside a meal. It argues the alcohol hours are no longer than the old TGI Fridays licence. The only extension it seeks is hot food until 2am at weekends (application, via Havering Council).
No residents or other members of the public objected.
Why the council’s teams object
The Brewery sits inside Romford town centre’s cumulative impact zone. In that zone, council policy says new licences that add to existing problems “will normally be refused” unless the applicant shows they will not.
The licensing authority says it is “not opposed in principle” to a licence at the site. Its objection is to the hours. Its representation makes four points:
- The 2.30am weekend closing is later than the council’s guideline hours for restaurants, takeaways and even nightclubs
- There are homes about 50 metres from the unit
- Alcohol stopping at midnight while food runs to 2am could cause conflict with diners refused a second round
- A late dine-in venue could become a “post-pub” destination and delay people leaving the area
It adds that the old TGI Fridays licence has lapsed and has no bearing on a new application. It also says it contacted the applicant’s solicitors on 20 August and had no reply more than two weeks later (Havering Council, responsible authority representations).
The council’s environmental health team objects on noise. It says the application does not show how noise from customers, delivery drivers and the extraction system would be controlled for those living nearby. It would not object to the hours the previous business had, 10am to 12.30am every day.
How late is 2.30am for Wingstop?
The licensing authority checked the chain’s own list of branches. Most close between 10pm and midnight, it says. The latest listed is 4am in Birmingham, but that branch is delivery only. The next latest is 2am in Leeds.
If this application were granted as submitted, the council says Romford would have the latest-opening Wingstop dine-in restaurant in the country.
The council’s guideline weekend closing times are:
| Type of premises | Friday and Saturday |
|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | Midnight |
| Takeaways and fast food | 1am |
| Pubs and bars | Midnight |
| Nightclubs | 2am |
Source: Havering statement of licensing policy, as quoted in the licensing authority’s representation.
What it means for you
A Wingstop is likely to come to The Brewery either way. Neither objection opposes a restaurant there. The open question is how late it can trade.
The hearing had been set for 10.30am on Friday 2 October at Havering Town Hall and has now been withdrawn. The papers are still public on the meeting page, which lists the full application and the representations. The time to make a representation passed in September, so there is no new chance to object.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Wingstop Romford?
Unit 11A, The Brewery, Romford RM1 1AU, in part of the former TGI Fridays. The applicant for the licence is Lemon Pepper Holdings Ltd.
Is Wingstop Romford open yet?
Not as of 1 October 2026. The Brewery’s centre manager has said it is due to open at the end of October; Wingstop has not given a date.
What hours will Wingstop Romford open?
Not settled in public yet. It applied for 10am to 12.30am Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. The council’s licensing team objected to the 2.30am weekend finish, and environmental health said it would accept 10am to 12.30am every day, the old TGI Fridays hours. The hearing that would have decided it has been withdrawn without the outcome being published.
Another late-licence application in the town centre is in our Jukebox licence hearing story.
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