Shops wins bid for alcohol licence despite fears over antisocial behaviour

WITHOUT hard evidence that granting an alcohol licence to a shop in Tredegar would cause anti-social behaviour, Blaenau Gwent councillors felt they had no choice but approve the application.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s statutory Licensing sub-committee on Thursday, June 20 councillors received an application from Taryn Best to sell alcohol at 90 Glyn Terrace in Tredegar.

The opening hours will be from 8am to 10pm daily from Monday to Sunday and alcohol would be sold for the whole 14 hour day from 8am onwards.

The committee were told by licensing officer Steve Osborne that the last owner of the shop held an alcohol licence from 2005 and 20022 and that it had only lapsed because of the shop owners death.

As part of the application process Gwent Police had asked for several conditions to be placed on the licence which included CCTV staff training and keeping record.

The police also want the “challenge 25 scheme” adopted to ask all people who look like they are younger than 25 years old to show ID.

As Ms Best had agreed to these conditions the Police had withdrawn any objections to the application

Local county borough councillor John Morgan explained that there are already several convenience stores in this part of Tredegar who sell alcohol with one at only being: “20 to 30 doors away.”

Cllr Morgan said: “We are concerned at the length of the licence from 8am in the morning to 10pm in the evening.

“We are concerned with 8am in the morning because people could be drinking on the streets while children are passing them to go to school.”

He believed the previous licensed hours of 10am to 7pm were “far better.”

Cllr Morgan added that there were around 3,000 residents in the Georgetown area of Tredegar who are already served by three shops with alcohol licences, another is felt to be: “taking it too far.”

Objector Patricia Sheppard said: “We are intimidated when there are groups of youths hanging around, this affects our mental wellbeing and anxiety greatly.

“You have to live here and experience what we have gone through to realise all of us are not here for fun.

“We’ve had homes and cars damaged, who are going to pay for those if they get damaged again – it won’t be the council.”

Mrs Sheppard added that she would “pray for rain” on Fridays as it would mean less youths out “banging on the windows, assaulting us, shouting and swearing at us.”

Committee member Cllr Jules Gardner said: “There’s clearly a youth issue in the area, you feel that if alcohol was sold this would be exacerbated.”

Mrs Sheppard’s daughter Samantha Sheppard answered: “Every time the shop has had a licence the anti-social behaviour noise and litter has increased -it serves as a beacon for youths to gather.”

Cllr John Hill asked for details of the opening times of the three other nearby shops.

Licensing officer Michele Bennett explained that the shop at 58 Glyn Terrace opened at 6am and could sell alcohol from 7am to 11pm Monday to Sunday.

The shop at Park Place held a licence between 7am to 11pm also Monday to Sunday, with a third shop on Edwards Terrace able to sell alcohol from 7am to 11pm from Monday to Saturday and 8am to 10.30pm on Sunday’s.

Cllr Hill said: “So the others are open for longer, the availability of alcohol would still be there early morning and late at night.”

Councillors then withdrew to deliberate.

When they returned committee clerk and solicitor Hayley Hawkins said: “Consideration was given to the concerns of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage that has historically taken place in the vicinity, but it was noted there was no evidential link put forward to suggest that anti-social behaviour will increase from the premises in the application being granted a licence.

“As such the sub-committee has decided to grant the licence as applied for.”

Committee chairwoman Cllr Lisa Winnett said: “I’m sorry it’s not the response you wanted, without hard factual evidence this shop would cause it (anti-social behaviour) we are bound by legislation on what we can and can’t do.”