A vape and mobile phone shop has applied for a drinks licence but Sussex Police and council officials have objected.
V&M Store, in the former Flower Burger premises, at 62 North Street, Brighton, has applied for a licence to sell alcohol from 10am to 10pm daily.
The business, owned by Satpal Singh, 42, is in an area of Brighton where the council’s policy is to turn down new off licences because the area is saturated with alcohol-led outlets.
Mr Singh said in his application that all drinks would be stored behind the sales counter and would be supplied only by trained staff on request.
The business would not sell strong beer or cider, he said, and would sell only multipacks – not the single bottles or cans preferred by street drinkers.
The business would not advertise alcohol outside the business, he said, there would be no special promotions and it would not offer discounts.
Sussex Police said that the conditions did not go far enough to keep people safe, with more than 1,000 crimes recorded within 200 yards of the premises over the past year.
More than 10 per cent of those offences, or 156, were directly linked to drink or drugs.
The 1,185 crimes included 516 thefts, 270 incidents of violence, 158 public order offences, 56 drug offences and 19 sexual offences.
An anonymous Sussex Police officer, whose name was redacted by the council, said: “Sussex Police fear a further premises with off-sales in this location will add to these crime statistics.
“And sadly, the risks of a person becoming a victim of crime or them partaking in criminal activity is one that will need to be dealt with by the emergency services.”
Council licensing official Donna Lynsdale said that the application did not say whether there were any exceptional circumstances, as would be required by licensing policy.
The application is due to be decided by a council licensing panel, made up of three councillors, at a hearing at 10am on Thursday (21 May). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
