By Daniel Holland
Copyright bbc
However, Northumbria Police solicitor Hayley Hebb argued the branches could become a potential “flashpoint” for incidents.
Sgt Graham Yare claimed a combined 30 extra opening hours per week between the two units “will logically generate crime”.
He said: “Due to the affordability of the food there, that is more likely to be a focal point where people group together if it is open until 5am.”
The council’s public health department also argued the application would harm efforts to reduce obesity in the city as it would “extend and increase access to calorie-dense food at a late-night hour, which particularly affects shift workers and vulnerable populations”.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Williams countered Greggs was “not part of the problem, they are operating within an area that has its own problems”.
He added the Neville Street unit already opens until 04:30 most days and that the Grainger Street site opens until 04:00 from Wednesday to Saturday.
Mr Williams also pointed out McDonald’s opens in the city centre until 05:00 and that Greggs would “follow suit and offer a greater level of choice and assist with dispersal [of revellers from the city centre]”.
Greggs does operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at Newcastle International Airport, but abandoned hopes of all-day trading in London’s Leicester Square in 2023 following police concerns.
