New Staffordshire service station’s bid to open and sell booze 24 hours a day sparks objections

A new service station being built near the M6 is seeking a licence to sell alcohol 24 hours a day.

Greggs, Subway and Costa Coffee are also proposed for the Stafford Gate Service Station off Creswell Grove, Creswell, which is close to Junction 14 of the motorway and one of the gateways to the county town.

There have been no objections from responsible authorities, such as Staffordshire Police and Stafford Borough Council’s environmental health department, to proposals to provide late night refreshment from 11pm to 5am and open 24 hours a day seven days a week, as well as selling booze during opening times.

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But the premises licence application submitted to the borough council has sparked 20 objections from members of the public.

There were also three complaints that notices advertising the application on the site’s boundary site could not be read from the road and were a public safety issue, a report to Stafford Borough Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee said, leading to the notices being readvertised in additional places.

Stafford Borough Council’s Licensing Sub Committee is due to consider the application at a meeting on Monday (November 16).

Stafford Gate Service Station will be the 25th facility operated by the Kay Group, which has other sites across the country, including Lancashire, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands. A supporting statement submitted as part of the premises licence application provided details of the training given to staff to prevent the sale of restricted products, such as alcohol and cigarettes, to underage customers.

It added: “The development is a new-to-industry site, following a lengthy planning process. It forms part of a wider 10-acre commercial development.

“At the heart of each site is a substantial convenience store, which represents the one stop retail and convenience destination. These are sizeable, full-service grocery outlets, principally supplied through Londis, offering customers a broad range of everyday food, grocery and household products.

“The proposed site will incorporate all the facilities that customers have grown to enjoy from the Kay Group including a petrol filling station, a substantial convenience store and food service from Greggs and Subway. It will also benefit from a Costa Coffee drive through.”

Staffordshire Trading Standards has agreed additional conditions with the applicant if the licence is granted. These address prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance, protecting children from harm and ensuring public safety.

But a Creswell Grove resident said: “The location is heavily influenced by the surrounding motorway and A road network. The premises is therefore likely to attract motorists and other road users.

“I am concerned that the combination of 24-hour food availability and unrestricted alcohol sales could increase the number of vehicles accessing the premises overnight and potentially increase risks associated with tired, impaired or otherwise unsuitable drivers.

“There should be a clear public benefit to permitting alcohol sales throughout the night, rather than simply assuming that because the premises can physically operate 24 hours, it should be permitted to do so.

“I am also concerned about the potential impact of 24-hour alcohol sales on the protection of children from harm. The premises is situated in a residential area and may be accessed by local families and children as well as motorists.”

Another Creswell Grove resident said: “There is a substantial difference between providing an essential overnight fuel service and providing unrestricted 24-hour alcohol sales and late-night refreshment.

“Overnight customers create additional pedestrian and vehicle movements around the forecourt.

“Alcohol availability introduces an additional risk where people may be purchasing alcohol before continuing journeys.

“The proposed operation would have the potential to generate repeated and prolonged disturbance from customers arriving and leaving the premises, vehicle engines, car doors, conversations and groups of customers congregating outside. Alcohol sales continuing throughout the overnight period could increase the likelihood of customers remaining around the premises, congregating outside or behaving in a manner that causes disturbance to nearby residents.”

You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live by visiting publicnoticeportal.uk/express-and-star