Plans for Wolverhampton petrol station to sell alcohol 24/7 rejected
A move to sell alcohol 24/7 from a petrol garage has been turned down over fears it would add to existing alcohol problems in Wolverhampton.
Motor Fuel Group wanted to change the licence at its petrol garage at the Morrisons store next to the Black Country Route in Bilston to allow alcohol to be sold 24/7.
But the move led to objections from the city’s public health officials as the petrol garage sits within a so-called ‘cumulative impact zone’ which places stricter restrictions on the sale of alcohol.
City of Wolverhampton Council’s licensing committee rejected the move following a hearing earlier this month.
Wolverhampton is a “regional outlier” for alcohol-related harm and hospital admissions due to alcohol, according to the city’s public health department, while also having one of the highest alcohol-specific death rates in the UK.
Motor Fuel Group had argued the ‘tiny’ garage would not add to any problems but public health officials were adamant that issues would grow because of the longer hours.
When the committee retired to deliberate it led to “substantial debate” over rewarding the licence resulting in the council’s solicitor saying a decision would be made in writing to Motor Fuel Group within five days rather than verbally at the conclusion of the meeting as is usually the case.
The council has now confirmed the application was refused.
At the hearing, Robert Botkai, representing Motor Fuel Group, had argued that the amount of alcohol expected to be sold was minimal and the impact of the 24-hour plans would be “almost impossible to register.”
Bilston High Street, the town’s Church Street and the nearby Morrisons supermarket also make up what the council calls a ‘cumulative impact zone’ because of the area’s higher crime and disorder rates and the ‘density’ of pubs, clubs, late-night venues and takeaways.
A licence was granted in February which allowed the sale of alcohol from the garage from 6am to 11pm and late night refreshments – hot and cold food and drink – from 11pm to 5am.
Last month, the council’s planners also approved a move to build a new drive-thru coffee shop and electric charging points next to the petrol garage and part of the Morrisons car park.
