Shop granted alcohol licence despite complaints

An alcohol licence has been approved for the new Mesha Essentials Convenience Store in Rooker Avenue, Wolverhampton

A new shop has been granted an alcohol licence despite neighbours complaining it would be "incompatible" with the area.

The licensing committee approved the application for the new Mesha Essentials Convenience Store in Rooker Avenue, Wolverhampton at a hearing on Wednesday.

The committee was convened after an objection claimed the new shop was "unnecessary" and "incompatible with the area" and could attract anti-social behaviour.

The shop will open from 6:00 to 23:00 GMT every Monday to Saturday and close at the earlier time of 21:00 GMT on Sundays after receiving a licence from the City of Wolverhampton Council.

West Midlands Police had originally objected to the application saying opening hours were "considerably lengthy" and the owner Mrs Chrishanthan had not provided enough information in the application to address how to prevent crime and disorder and protect children from harm.

Following on from that an agreement had been struck between the city's public health and environmental health departments and West Midlands Police but objections from members of the public meant a licensing committee meeting was called.

The objection said residents in Rooker Street were "deeply concerned" by the late opening hours and the new shop was "unnecessary" and "incompatible with the area."

It 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 complainants 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, who owns another shop in Dudley, said staff would follow the Challenge 25 policy and the longer opening times were customers who worked irregular hours and needed to buy essentials.