Alcohol licence for Wolverhampton shop granted despite complaint from neighbours
A new shop has been granted an alcohol licence after neighbours complained it would be ‘incompatible’ with the area.
Wolverhampton Council’s licensing committee approved the licence for the new Mesha Essentials Convenience Store on Rooker Avenue in Wolverhampton at a hearing on Wednesday.
The hearing was held after an objection claimed the new shop was “unnecessary” and “incompatible with the area” and could attract anti-social behaviour.
The new shop will open from 6am to 11pm from Monday to Saturday and close earlier at 9pm on Sundays after receiving a licence from Wolverhampton Council.
West Midlands Police had originally objected to the application saying Mrs Chrishanthan had not provided enough information or conditions in the application to address how the licensing objectives, namely the prevention of crime and disorder and the protection of children from harm, would be upheld.
The force added that the proposed opening hours were “considerably lengthy” and had been applied for without suitable conditions to support them.
Wolverhampton Council’s public health and environmental health departments, which had also objected, and West Midlands Police went on to discuss the application with Mrs Chrishanthan and reached an agreement which would allow the licence to be granted and negate the need for a hearing.
However, the licensing hearing still went ahead after objections were raised by members of the public.
The objection, which said it was on behalf of concerned residents in Rooker Street, said they were “deeply concerned” by the late opening hours and the new shop was “unnecessary” and “incompatible with the area.”
The objectors also said the new shop would attract “littering, vandalism, and petty crime” as well as more cars, noise, public drinking and loitering in the family neighbourhood.
The committee said it was disappointed the objectors did not attend the hearing to present their case and many of their concerns were “speculative” and without “real” evidence.
At the hearing, Mrs Chrishanthan said: “We can make sure that we follow the Challenge 25 policy to make sure that the alcohol is sold to the right people and make sure that we don’t give alcohol to already drunken people to make it worse.
“I have experience of working in a petrol station opposite a pub so we know how to handle them.
“We also have another shop in Dudley so we are familiar with these alcohol issues and public nuisance.”
She also said the longer opening times would be for those who worked irregular hours and needed to buy essentials.
