Watch: Property values in Illovo could decrease because of loud pizza parlour
ILLOVO – Since Andiccio24 opened its doors in Illovo five years ago, the pizza parlour, which is open all day, every day, has faced numerous accusations of noise pollution, attracting unsavoury patrons and even the illegal sale of alcohol after hours.
An irate local resident, Agnes Vontas, who lives three properties away from the establishment vented her dismay at the way the restaurant was run and said she feared this could cause a decrease in property values in the area.
“As the name implies, they are open 24-hours a day which means that we have ongoing, unacceptable noise from them throughout the night, seven days a week,” said Vontas.
“They are open all hours of the night and they are attracting unsavoury characters there [drunks, drug addicts and prostitutes] who continually shout, scream, party and fight.”
Vontas added that she also suspected that the establishment sold alcohol long past the liquor trading hours stipulated in their liquor licence, which is 2am.
“I know for a fact this is against the law. They have an area outside on the pavement without any closed off area, where these people sit for hours on end, partying to their hearts’ content.”
A local resident and member of the, I love Illovo Facebook group, who asked not to be named, reiterated Vontas’ concerns and contacted Rosebank Killarney Gazette with further information.
“The pizza chain is open 24-hours a day, which is great for people craving a pizza at midnight, but horrible for residents trying to have a good night’s rest,” said the resident.
“The problem is that a culture is developing around the store that promotes drunken behaviour. Drunken revellers pour in after a night of partying and settle at Andiccio24 as their last stop, where they drink and shout and cackle until the sun comes up.”
The resident also sent a link to a YouTube video filmed outside of the restaurant during the last festive period:
The owner of the restaurant, Jeanine Cooper, has responded by saying that this was something they were well aware of, as certain members of the community had brought this to their attention in the past. Cooper explained that the venue was chosen due to the vibrant and social nature of the area, which has a festive, bustling and late-night atmosphere.
“This is not something that Andiccio24 created,” said Cooper, alluding to the fact that the party atmosphere was there before the restaurant came to be.
“We strictly adhere to all legal regulations, local authority bylaws including, but not limited to, trading hours, liquor licencing and local authority letters of acceptability,” Cooper continued.
“Whilst we operate [at all hours], liquor is only served until 2am as prescribed by the Liquor Act and deliveries cease at midnight. This is clearly stated within the store alongside additional signs that we have erected asking patrons to be mindful of noise levels after midnight.”
Cooper further stated that while there had been a long-standing vagrant issue in the area, they have proactively employed an extra security guard to assist in moving noisy vagrants and patrons off the street as quickly as possible.
“We have thus done everything in our power to respect both the needs of our customers and the local residents,” Cooper concluded.
