City Hall. Picture: Denise Bradley
Residents fail to stop a Norwich shop from being allowed to sell alcohol 24 hours a day
Richard Wheeler
Friday, September 14, 2012
1:42 PM
Neighbours have failed in their bid to stop a petrol station shop from selling alcohol 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Norwich City Council yesterday approved an application allowing Costcutter Express at St Benedicts Filling Station, in Dereham Road, to extend the hours it can sell alcoholic drinks.
Residents warned there were street drinking, anti-social behaviour and disorder problems, which could be made worse by the change.
They also suggested people already queued outside the shop before 5.30am to buy alcohol to drink on the street.
Applicant Murco Petroleum Limited refuted this claim and also cited there had been no objections or comments raised by Norfolk police.
The company also offered to ensure CCTV monitors an area of the petrol station site where early morning street-drinkers are said, by residents, to gather.
The council’s licensing sub-committee yesterday heard the Costcutter shop already opens all-day, every-day, with the sale of alcohol allowed between 5.30am and midnight.
Chris Mitchener, of Licensing Solutions and representing the applicant, said shop staff were regularly trained and tested.
He added a Challenge 25 policy - asking all those customers who look under the age of 25 - will soon replace the shop’s existing Challenge 21 guidelines.
Mr Mitchener said: “There’s a demand for alcohol. There’s already two other sites that straddle this site, which sell alcohol for 24 hours.”
Dereham Road resident Caroline Richardson objected, telling the committee she believed it would be “dangerous” to extend the licence in an area which already has problems.
She said: “I do think we have a problem in that area, which will be exacerbated and worsened by the availability of alcohol in the night.”
The council yesterday ruled there was insufficient evidence to support the objections.
What do you think? Write to Evening News Letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE.
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7 comments
Method in the nuLabour madness is to contain the street drinkers (PC for alcoholics) near to where they doss, out of sight, out of mind.
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nrg
Sunday, September 16, 2012
How many Norwich City Councillors live in the area ?. Exactly... The local residents pay their Council Tax , and should be afforded protection from premises selling alcohol at unsocial hours .
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dragonfly
Friday, September 14, 2012
How many Norwich City Councillors live in the area ?. Exactly... The local residents pay their Council Tax , and should be afforded protection from premises selling alcohol at unsocial hours .
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dragonfly
Friday, September 14, 2012
Big business wins every time and will continue to do so.
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John L Norton
Friday, September 14, 2012
Norfolk Police seem to be all over the place with their strategy and views on all night drinking. They want to curtail the hours alcohol can be served in clubs in the city because of its link with increased crime and disorder yet seem perfectly happy to allow a petrol station to sell alcohol 24 hours a day. Talk about left hand, right hand.
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BG
Friday, September 14, 2012
We have laws to deal with the public consumption of alcohol , antisocial behaviour , & public disorder. All that's necessary is the willingness of the police to enforce them.
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Colonel Grumpfuttock-Horseposture (retired)
Friday, September 14, 2012
It seems ironic that this comes on the same day that the Evening News is reporting an increase in alcohol related crime elsewhere in the city.
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tigger449
Friday, September 14, 2012