Public urination and faeces in flowerbeds among reasons Kent Police oppose shop's alcohol licence application

Urine and faeces in high street flowerbeds are among the reasons police have asked for an alcohol licence application to be refused for a shop in a troubled Kent town centre.

The Royal Supermarket in Balmoral Road, Gillingham, has applied for an alcohol licence seven days a week, from 9am to 11pm.

But both Kent Police and Medway Council’s public health team say the licence shouldn’t be granted because of concerns the area is already a hotspot of alcohol-related antisocial behaviour.

READ MORE: Off-duty paramedic saved football fan's life on moving train

READ MORE: Police 'increasingly concerned' for 'frail' missing man

The authority’s public health director, David Whiting, highlighted a number of concerns about the location, as it sits within the Gillingham cumulative impact policy (CIP) area – identified as having high levels of crime, disorder and public nuisance.

The report described a visit made by officers to the town which found extensive littering of bottles and beer cans, as well as associated rubbish such as bottle caps and packaging near The Royal Supermarket.

It also detailed how there was a strong smell of urine and evidence of public defecation in the flower bed bordering St Mark’s Church in Canterbury Street and in the alleyways leading off Balmoral Road.

Officers say the application is not exceptional enough to warrant overriding the licensing objectives, which are to reduce crime and disorder and prevent public nuisance. Therefore the council recommend refusal.

Kent Police concur, saying tackling street drinking and alcohol-related crime in the nearby area is an ongoing problem for the force, and it doesn’t believe the application has demonstrated sufficient efforts to mitigate the possible impacts of another off-licence.

In its application The Royal Supermarket said it would try to deter street drinkers by only selling multi-packs of less than 5.5% ABV and not selling spirit miniatures. It said alcohol would not occupy more than 15% of the shop’s floor space.

But the police say these measures would not be enough, considering the scale of the problem – as regular patrols through the area result in alcohol confiscations and dealing with related crime every day.

The application is to be considered by councillors next week at a licencing hearing panel on January 21.