Neighbours told councillors why they objected to a corner shop’s application for a drinks licence at a hearing today (Wednesday 25 June).
They said that Cookes News, on the corner of Montefiore Road and Davigdor Road, Hove, was in a stretch that already had two off-licences and feared more crime and anti-social behaviour.
But Hiral Patel, who took over the shop in April, wants to sell alcohol so that the shop has the same business model as her other store, nearby Wilson News, down the street, in Cromwell Road.
Twenty neighbours objected, as did ward councillors, prompting Brighton and Hove City Council to hold a licensing panel hearing today. One letter of support was submitted.
The council’s licensing team originally objected to the application because Mrs Patel proposed selling alcohol until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays – contrary to the council’s licensing policy.
But her agent, Surendra Panchal, director of Personal Licensing Consultants Limited, said that 8am to 11pm at weekends would acceptable – the hours proposed for Monday to Thursday.
At this point, the council licensing team withdrew its objection.
The proposed hours on Sundays were 9am to 10.30pm.
After an exchange with one of three panel members, Labour councillor Paul Nann, Mrs Patel said that she would stop selling alcohol at 10pm if required.
Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn, who used to chair the council’s Licensing Committee, addressed the panel in her capacity as a ward councillor, objecting to the application because it would add a third off-licence to Montefiore Road.
She cited the council’s licensing policy, saying that when there were several existing off-licences in an area or in a parade with another off-licence and people objected to the application, the council could refuse it or restrict the opening hours.
Councillor O’Quinn said: “This is the third off-licence in a very small area … one of the other ones is one door away from Cookes News.
“You would have two off-licences that are basically cheek by jowl and I can assure you that we really do not need three off-licences in this area which is heavily residential and also opposite a hospital.”
Montefiore Road resident Nic Roe said that when the first off-licence opened around 15 years ago neighbours were accepting.
Three years ago, when the Sweet Shop applied for a licence, he was one of the residents who objected to the application when it went before a council licensing panel.
Mr Roe said: “I thought that was overkill, even then three years ago. There were two alcohol premises within 70ft of each other and now we’re having another alcohol licence application through. What is becoming of Montefiore Road?”
He added: “We had shops that ran normal business hours before – a hairdresser was there (and) a tile shop – and it’s becoming a ghetto for alcohol and vape shops and it’s having an impact on the area and the way it looks.”
Mr Panchal said that alcohol sales were needed to make the business profitable because the previous owners made a loss for the past two years.
The days of making money from a large number of paper rounds and newspaper sales had gone. Far fewer people bought their paper from newsagents, going to convenience stores instead – and buying wine with their shopping.
He said that Mrs Patel and her husband had run Wilson News for 16 years without any breaches of their drinks licence.
After talks with Sussex Police licensing officers, draft conditions were drawn up before the hearing. They included keeping all spirits behind the counter – out of customers’ reach.
They also included no sales of single cans or high-strength beer or cider, no drinks sold for delivery and no advertising or promotions of any drinks outside the premises.
Mr Panchal said: “Shops, stores and supermarkets should now be free to provide sales of alcohol for consumption off the premises at any time when the retail outlet is open for shopping, unless there is good reason based on the licensing objectives for restricting those hours.”
The panel – councillors Ivan Lyons, Paul Nann and Kerry Pickett – retired to make their decision which should be made public within five working days.
