Decision to be made on another new off-licence in Smethwick after residents complained of ‘health and safety risk'
A decision to open a new late-night off-licence in Bearwood is set to be made after several residents complained another new shop was turning its high street into a ‘health and safety risk'.
A meeting will be held to decide whether the new shop can open in Bearwood Road, Bearwood, Smethwick, following a number of complaints from neighbours.
A decision was due to be made in September but the meeting was adjourned over a “discrepancy” with the shop’s layout and the licensing committee granted applicant Ali Ashorbig’s request to push back a decision so he could provide the council with the correct documents.
The committee will now meet again on November 25 to decide on the application.
One objector said smashed glass bottles, drug paraphernalia and human waste were making Bearwood Road a “health and safety risk.”
“The high street has more than its fair share of establishments selling alcoholic beverages and food,” the objection said. “We do not require any more.”
The new off-licence would open in the former Twisty Pretzel bakery next door to another off-licence JM Shop which opened last year.
A number of objections were raised against the plan for the shop, which would be open from 9am to 11pm every day according to the application by Mr Ashorbig.
Another objector said there was “no demonstrable need” for another off-licence in Bearwood Road.
“The area is surrounded by many schools,” the objection read. “It is already subject to problems that place young people at risk; adding late-night alcohol sales and vapes could normalise and attract further harmful behaviour.
“It is important to note that the immediate area already has multiple off licences, with the nearest being next door.
“The saturation of such premises has not improved the area’s condition, in fact it has coincided with the rise in disorder, littering and nuisance behaviour.
“There is no demonstrable need for another outlet such as this on Bearwood Road.”
One resident living in nearby Wattis Road said they were “increasingly concerned” by the increase in late-night shops in Bearwood.
“Currently, the area already hosts four such establishments, Quincy’s Market, The Bob Shop, JM Shop and Vape, and Eagles Booze, all of which sell similar products and maintain similar storefronts.
“The cumulative impact of these shops has coincided with a noticeable increase in antisocial behaviour, including loitering, disturbances during late hours, and suspicious activity involving vehicles parked outside these premises.”
Camelia Gonciulea, the former owner of Twisty Pretzel, was wrongly chased by debt collectors over a £24,000 electricity bill in 2024 after criminals illegally hooked up a huge cannabis farm to the bakery’s mains.
The two-year deal to clear her name saw the bakery owner charged £6,000 in interest before bailiffs were told to stand down.
