A Hove convenience store owner wants to be allowed to sell beer, wine and spirits from 8am to 5am every day.
His store, Harvest, will be based at 22 Church Road, Hove, in place of the former GFC Kebab House.
The premises has a late-night refreshment licence, granted when it was a kebab shop, allowing the sale of food until 5am.
Harvest is owned by LMJ Church Road Limited which submitted the “off-licence” application to Brighton and Hove City Council.
LMJ Church Road director Joseph Pdeen, 47, said that he would surrender the late-night refreshment licence if an off-sales licence was approved.
But the location is a busy part of Brighton and Hove where the council has stricter licensing rules to try to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder.
The council’s policy is to refuse new off-licence applications in the area unless the business owner can prove there are exceptional circumstances that would not worsen drink-related crime.
The council licensing department has objected to the application, as have five neighbours who raised concerns about noise and anti-social behaviour in the area.
One resident, whose details were redacted on the council website, said: “Selling alcohol day and night will lead to nuisance, noise and increased foot and car traffic in the surrounding area.
“It’s likely that in summer the off-sales will be consumed on garden walls and in the local streets. It’s already noisy when people come out of the bars.”
Neighbours also said that the nearby Londis and Budgens shops already sold alcohol.
Mr Pdeen agreed with Sussex Police that, if he was granted a licence, he would not sell “super-strength” beer or cider – 5.5 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) or more.
Spirits would be kept behind the counter and the store would not stick miniatures, with no more than 15 per cent of the floorspace dedicated to alcohol.
He also agreed not to advertise alcohol on A-boards outside the premises or promote any deals on window posters.
He acknowledged the council’s concerns about the area while noting that the premises had an existing licence for “late-night refreshment” and adding that there was demand within the night-time economy.
The application said: “The applicant also wishes for the business to be an asset and a viable concern in the daytime economy.
“The premises will stock fresh and frozen produce, and the sale of alcohol will be ancillary to that purpose throughout the trading hours.”
Two staff members would be on duty from 11pm to 5am to tackle crime and disorder – and the business would be a member of the local crime reduction partnership.
The application is due to be decided by a council licensing panel made up of three councillors, with the applicant and objectors having a chance to set out their case.
The panel is due to hold an online hearing at 10am next Thursday (8 June). The hearing is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Can’t see it happening.
No-one needs more alcohol at 5am, and we should not be encouraging it, in my opinion.
Sometimes people may not need it, just want it. Just because you never do doesn’t mean that others don’t.
Sure, my own individual perspective may be slightly skewed by seeing the constant degradation of human behaviour it causes, and the amount of health issues excessive drinking can cause, Nick. However, my point is that we do not need to encourage further drug use by increasing its availability. We have a robust evidence-base that shows that with more accessibility and ease of access comes more long-term problems to people’s health and wellbeing, which ultimately becomes very costly for the city, the NHS, and the individual themself.
Sure, they have choice. I would wager the majority also wants to make a choice to discourage 5am purchasing of alcohol, too.
Well said Benjamin. When will local authorities do as they should and stop these places profiteering at our expense? The drivel they come out with is staggering! ‘Two members of staff will be on duty to tackle crime and disorder’!. Who you gonna hire mate? Batman and Robin? Utter tosh. He’s blindsiding the licensing committee and I hope they see through his rhetoric. What does he take us for? Do the addicts buy alcohol there at 03:00 and drink it there?
It is a sad reality that alcohol is the most socially accepted drug of our time, and one that has some of the most damaging aspects socioeconomically as well as our health.
‘Two staff members will be on duty to deal with crime and disorder’ !! Says it all really. The applicant for the ludicrous 5am alcohol is ready admitting that his freedom to sell alcohol until 5am will cause real problems for residents. How dare he. The really worrying thing is that someone whose sole aim is to make money no matter what the consequences will be selling ignore any rules and regulations no matter what the Council agree to. We do not need any more outlets such as this in our area.
Absolutely a big NO from me
The police target well run pubs and nightclubs but in reality it is the corner 24hr shops that is causing the problems on our streets. Pubs and clubs have security after a certain time but shops sell alcohol freely to people even if they are drunk. I say stop ALL shops selling alcohol after 11pm it is the shops for example that cause the mess on our beach’s and ASB. Allow new bars and nightclubs with door security but stop the main cause of ASB shops selling booze all night long.
This used to be the way, we have consumed alcohol for millennia and the great and the good tweaked it until they had a reasonable compromise that had licensing controls…then that piece of excrement Tony Blair gained power in 1997 and abolished all the safeguards that ensured a sense of law and order with his 24/7 licensing laws. Only winners were him of course and his brewery pals from uni…
I think that this shows more about the level of alcohol dependence in Brighton & Hove than anything else. It seems that every business nowadays claims that it cannot operate without an alcohol licence implying that everyone in the area must be continuously desperate to pour booze down their throats.
I’m just waiting for the local undertaker to claim that they need an alcohol licence to continue trading. Never Normal Brighton !!!