A shop in Derby city centre has had its application to sell super strength beer refused by the local council amid ongoing concerns about street drinking in the area. The Go Local Extra Convenience store, located on Midland Road in the premises formerly occupied by the Tiffany Lounge pub, sought permission to introduce sales of alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 6.5% or higher.
Currently, the store is prohibited from selling super strength alcohol due to longstanding issues with street drinking in the Midland Road vicinity, which has been identified as an anti-social behaviour hotspot. The shop argued that these restrictions were negatively impacting footfall and threatening the viability of their business, prompting the licence variation request.
At a licensing hearing held on Monday, 14 April, at Derby City Council’s headquarters, the store’s legal representative presented several proposed conditions intended to address local concerns. One key suggested condition was that “alcohol will not be served to any known problem people.” However, Derbyshire police opposed this wording, describing it as “unenforceable,” pointing out that shop staff cannot reliably determine whether a customer has a drinking problem. The police further argued that easing restrictions in this way could increase access to alcohol for street drinkers and exacerbate anti-social behaviour in the area.
Additional proposed measures from the store included selling super strength beer, lager, or cider only in minimum quantities of four items per transaction to deter street drinkers, who are said typically to purchase single items. Additionally, they suggested labelling containers of high-strength alcohol with the shop’s name so they could be traced, noting that street drinkers “don’t bother trying to peel labels off.”
Despite these proposed conditions, the council’s general licensing sub-committee, comprising Councillors Alison Holmes, Neil Wilson, and Kirk Kus, remained unconvinced. Their report concluded that the main condition was not enforceable, nor were the supplementary measures, leading the committee to reject the application. The report stated: “The sub-committee were not satisfied that the proposed condition was enforceable, nor were they satisfied that the two extra conditions offered would be. The sub-committee resolved to reject the application.”
During the hearing, Naga Rajesh, a licensing consultant representing the store, emphasised that the responsibility for street drinking should not rest solely with shop owners. Speaking to the Derby Telegraph, Rajesh said: “We cannot put all the problems on the street on the shop owners or my client’s shoulder. My client had an application refused two years ago to change the same condition and the reason was the objection from police due to the problems in the area. But in those two years there has been no improvement. We are hearing the same story two years later from the police. Refusing the licence back then did not make any change. Yes, there are some shops selling alcohol to the wrong person. But we have to accept there is a lack of enforcement in this area.”
The refusal means that the Go Local Extra Convenience store remains restricted from selling super strength alcohol, continuing the city’s efforts to manage street drinking and its associated challenges in the Midland Road neighbourhood.
Source: Noah Wire Services