Stoke Newington bistro Drury set to open after owner reassures neighbours and police

A new cafe and bistro will open soon in Stoke Newington after the owner allayed fears about how it will be run.

Neighbours initially opposed an alcohol licence bid from Drury, on the corner of Stoke Newington Road and Foulden Road, and police questioned whether it would actually be a cafe.

But Cemal Polat, who runs the existing branch in Drury Lane, says after he spoke to neighbours and told them about the plans for the venue, they withdrew their complaints about possible anti-social behaviour.

“We don’t want to bring more problems to the area,” he told the Gazette. “We want to bring something nice to the area. We won’t be serving alcohol after 7pm and we will only be serving it with food.

“We want to make it into a kind of book cafe, we want people to stop using computers when they come in and also want to promote local artists on our walls.”

Cemal said he understood why neighbours had concerns after an initial application earlier this year for a snooker hall was rejected and said he brought in new staff to change the approach.

“I brought in someone with 40 years of planning experience to make sure we are not damaging the area,” he added. “That is not what we want to do.”

Cemal, who has lived in the borough for 30 years, also clarified a shooting at the venue took place two years ago and was nothing to do with Drury or anyone involved with it.