B & W Food and Wine applied to Sutton Council for a licence to sell alcohol at 575 London Road in Cheam.
The applicant, Shahpoor Bazmangal, has asked for the selling of alcohol to be held between 7am and 11pm from Monday to Thursday, 8am to 12am on Friday and Saturday, and 8am to 10pm on Sunday.
In order for the application to be approved, the applicant must meet four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.
Shahpoor and his agent have assured the council that they will meet each criterion.
When it came to the prevention of crime and disorder, the applicant has stated that CCTV will cover all public areas, including entrances, exits, and all point of sale and alcohol.
These CCTV systems will display the correct date and time images were captured, allowing cross-checking.
If the CCTV is not working, the applicant said that the Licensing Authority and Police will be contacted within 24 hours.
The agent added: “The premises licence holder shall implement a training manual and all members of staff shall be suitably trained in sale of alcohol and underage sales prevention before making any sales of alcohol of any age restricted goods to the public.
“There shall be no self service of spirits on the premises.”
The applicant also assures that they will adhere to the protection of children from harm by having the Challenge 25 system enforced and the appropriate signage on display.
A sign stating “No proof of age – no sale” will also be displayed.
They added: “The only acceptable ID will be those with photographic identification documents, including passport, photo-card, driving licence, or proof of age card bearing the PASS hologram.”
However, despite these assurances, some people have objected to the applicant’s submission.
One resident, whose name was redacted, said: “We have to put up with a lot of antisocial behaviour which goes on way past midnight.
“There has been a lot of trouble and drunken behaviour, particularly fighting, shouting and screaming.”
This behaviour is said to regularly occur late at night and into the early morning.
The resident described ongoing disturbances caused by nearby 24-hour businesses including McDonald’s and late-night chicken shops, with people urinating in doorways and shouting on their phones.
They said: “People in my doorway urinating, shouting on their phones late at night, very upsetting when young family members come to stay.”
The resident fears that granting the license will worsen the problem by attracting intoxicated people late at night to their residential area.
They added: “Please do not allow this application as it will encourage intoxicated people to come over to our place of residence at such late hours.
“We really do not want to get into any arguments or the situation to get any worse.”
Another resident said: “It is my belief that the potential authorisation of the shop will enhance further ASBO behaviour that has been ongoing in the vicinity of the area.”
They pointed out those existing venues such as the Nonsuch Inn Wetherspoons, which stays open until late, along with a 24-hour McDonald’s and late-night fried chicken shops, already contribute to frequent drunken disorder that disrupts the community’s peace.
The resident expressed concern for the impact on families living nearby, saying, “There are young families in the area that do not need another local business that will create unrest and discomfort.”
They further argued that the license is unnecessary given the number of similar establishments already nearby, stating, “I do not think it is in the public interest to approve this application considering there is already a Sainsbury’s supermarket, Sainsbury’s petrol garage, Londis, Costcutter and another off late night license business all within a 3-minute walking distance.”
Councillors in the Sutton Council Licensing Sub-Committee will decide whether to approve or reject their application by August 19, after a meeting held on August 12.
