A business owner has failed in his bid to be able to sell alcohol at a former Post Office in Brighton.
Eyad Mwoas, 45, applied to Brighton and Hove City Council to sell alcohol from 8am to 11pm at 80 Islingword Road, Brighton, trading as Islingword Convenience.
Islingword Road is in an area of central Brighton already saturated with businesses selling alcohol and council policy is not to approve new off-licences in the area unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing team objected to the application because of high crime and the saturation policy.
During a licensing panel hearing on Wednesday 29 April before three councillors – Julie Cattell, John Hewitt and Ivan Lyons – council licensing officer Donna Lynsdale said there had been an incident with security at Mr Mwoas’ business Pop In Shop in West Street.
She said that during a licensing visit, with police, in November 2024, Mr Mwoas’s West Street business was found in breach of conditions requiring two registered door staff to be on duty after 10pm at weekends.
Sussex Police licensing officer Hannah Staplehurst said that Mr Mwoas did not offer any unique reasons as to why he should have a new alcohol licence.
In their decision, the panel recognised Mr Mwoas’ willingness to limit alcohol sales until 10.30pm, and various conditions he was willing to include in the licence, including 5.5 per cent alcohol maximum strength, no single cans, alcohol labelling for traceability.
However, no exceptional reasons were given to depart from policy as the business is proposed to be a convenience store like many others in the area.
The council’s decision said: “The conditions proposed are not, the panel considers, exceptional in themselves.
“The area is saturated with licensed premises, and the panel shares the concerns of the responsible authorities that increasing the availability of alcohol in this area is likely to undermine the licensing objectives.”
Mr Mwoas can appeal the council’s decision.
Hoorah, a sensible decision for once!
Finally a decision that is the correct one. Considering it’s next door to a pub and less than 250 foot walk from the Londis in Queens Park Road that already sells alcohol.
When it was a post office it wasn’t allowed to sell alcohol either and I’m glad the council and licensing department have stuck to the decision with the new owner.
And I hope if the owner appeals it, they refuse it again!
Far too many places nearby and around that sell alcohol already and drinking is a particularly common issue in this city with a lot of people from surrounding communities having long term addiction issues with alcohol which would contribute to those issues.
Good decision!
If selling booze is they only way such a shop can survive then it should never have a trading licence, convenience store is one thing, booze sheds should be closed down, permanently along with the vape crap they supply.
Simple decision here, no exceptional circumstances. No approval.
Great news its these sort of shops that are the issue in Brighton and Hove. Bars,pubs, nightclubs get the blame but on the most part they are well run with security on doors when opening late.
Benjamin Franks is a prominent commentator on the Brighton and Hove News website, often participating in debates on local political and social issues. He is widely recognised in the community as a local Conservative politician who has previously stood as a candidate for Brighton and Hove City Council.Profile as a CommentatorPolitical Stance: His comments typically reflect Conservative viewpoints, often critiquing current Labour and Green party policies regarding local governance, waste collection, and cycle lanes.Engagement Style: He frequently engages in lengthy exchanges with other regular commenters, such as “Barry Johnson,” on topics ranging from transgender rights to immigration and housing.Recent Activity: As of May 2026, he remains active on the platform, contributing to discussions on university free speech fines and new community centres.Local Political BackgroundCandidacy: Benjamin Franks has stood as a Conservative candidate in several local elections, including the Wish ward (2023) and the South Portslade by-election (January 2024).Professional Background: Outside of his political and commenting activities, he is an English language teacher and has previously been identified as a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University.Key Issues: In his official campaign profiles, he has campaigned for better bin collections, removing graffiti, and opposing “vanity projects” like certain cycle lane extensions.
Yes Benjamin is a wet wipe, we are all well aware
Benjamin, the funniest part is that for weeks you’ve been obsessing over getting the last word, convinced every person disagreeing with you must be “ChatGPT” fake accounts, or the same person using multiple usernames.
But all you’ve really done is expose your own ego. You dismiss opinions before even reading them because you’re too focused on “winning” instead of understanding anything being said. The need to always have the final say has made you completely blind to how ridiculous you look.
What makes it genuinely hilarious — if it wasn’t so sad — is that several different usernames have been engaging with you this whole time, and you’re still too wrapped up in your own superiority complex to realise it. Every disagreement becomes “AI” because accepting that multiple real people think you’re wrong would clearly hurt your ego too much.
So no, the joke isn’t on everyone else. It’s on you.