A leaseholder after permission to sell alcohol above the Nag’s Head market has dropped his request for a music licence in the hope it will make the controversial application more palatable to councillors.

Simone Moroni, who owns the Italian Job pub chain, originally applied for a licence to sell booze and play live, amplified and recorded music until 12.30am at The Upper Place: a new first floor venue due to open in early 2019.

Islington’s licensing sub committee will on Tuesday next week consider a petition opposing the licence signed with 219 signatures, as well as 37 written objections. Among them is an intervention from the headteacher of Grafton Primary School, in Eburne Road.

Nitsa Sergides, who has lived in the borough for 40 years, stated: “I am concerned already about the crime in this area of Islington and very much local to our school.

“With so many gambling establishments, a good number of local pubs and pawnbrokers everywhere the propose[d] establishment will add insult to injury.”

She added the late night sale of booze could create “negative role models” and “incidents that could potentially be harmful top children”.

No children will be allowed on the premises after 8pm.

The neighbour who created the petition, whose name is redacted, observed: “People under the influence of drugs or too much alcohol frighten, harass and sometimes harm local residents and traders and reduce public safety, and at the same time often harm themselves too.”

The amended application notes: “There was great concern that these premises would be a nightclub.

“This was never the case. This is a food hall and as such the applicant has removed live and recorded music from the application.”

It goes on to argue that having “security on busy evenings” and staff stationed at the entrance to the Seven Sisters Road Market whenever the Upper Place is open will “deter persons who are coming to take drugs and drink in the area by the [Morrisons] car park”.

The Hertslet Road Morrisons and neighbouring streets have experienced a high volume of open drug taking and anti-social behaviour over the past year, prompting police forces from Islington, Hackney and Haringey to launch a joint operation to tackle the problem at the start of December.