Concerns about increased traffic, pollution, loitering and litter were cited by a neighbour who objected to Aldi’s application for a drinks licence for the budget supermarket chain’s new Hove store.
Aldi is seeking a licence to sell alcohol from 7am to 11pm at its new Old Shoreham Road store which is due to open on the site of the old Homebase next Thursday (4 December).
Objections from two neighbours meant that the application was considered by a panel of three councillors at a hearing at Hove Town Hall today (Thursday 27 November).
Aldi originally applied for a licence covering 6am to midnight – described as its standard application by company lawyer Lisa Gilligan – but the hours were trimmed after talks with Sussex Police.
Neighbour Carol Blakey told the panel – councillors Julie Cattell, David McGregor and Tobias Sheard – that she stood by her written objection.
She said that there were issues with people loitering when the site housed Homebase – and the new store would have longer hours. Outside lighting would also affect nearby homes because it would be on later into the evening.
She said: “The rooms at the front of my house, I don’t even have to put the lights on because the lights from Aldi are so bright I could have seen my way around. There’s a light pollution issue.
“For me, the less hours the store’s open will be the better. But I appreciate Aldi has its own interests and my interests aren’t particularly important to Aldi. But as a resident, the council should be looking after us as well.”
Ms Gilligan told the panel that Aldi’s staff were trained by a separate company – which was not named at the hearing but which also carries out test purchases to try to prevent under-age sales.
She said: “We can track ourselves and if we have a store where perhaps members of staff fail that, we can act upon it without waiting for failure, perhaps in a council exercise or, indeed, in inverted commas, real life.
“So we’re adding that additional layer on top of that training. All of that refresher training is documented.”
At the moment, the company has no plans to lock away alcohol or have extra security on the doors as Aldi does at its branch in London Road, Brighton.
That could change, depending on activity once the store opens next week.
Area manaer Bethany Kimber said that the company considered the new shop to be a “destination” store more suited to larger family weekly shops because it had a car park.
Neither Sussex Police nor Brighton and Hove City Council licensing team objected to the application which complies with policy to allow new off-licences to operate outside of the central areas until 11pm.
The panel retired to make its decision which should be made public within five working days.
Increased traffic, pollution, loitering and litter are really not grounds for refusing an alcohol licence. Although I sympathise with the neighbours, I can’t see this being rejected as it is already a supermarket which would generate these issues.