Stoke convenience store set to reopen under new owner

A convenience store has been given the green light to sell alcohol seven days a week – despite concerns from residents about antisocial behaviour problems in the area.

General Store in Wimborne Avenue, Newstead, is set to reopen as THP Food and Wine.

But an application to Stoke-on-Trent City Council requesting permission to open and allow the sale of alcohol from 6am to 11pm each day met with concern about the proposed hours of trading from a Newstead Estate resident.

Chris Hall, who submitted the representation to the council, said: “My home looks on to the rear of the shop. The shop is predominately surrounded by old people’s bungalows and to have a shop operating from 6am to 11pm would impact on them and other residents.

“I also have concerns about the proposed alcohol sales. We already have a shop – McColls – that sells alcohol and also a pub on the estate.There are also two pubs within a short walking distance. The area around the shops has been linked with antisocial behaviour for many years and [I] don’t wish to see this becoming worse.”

The council’s licensing sub-committee, which met last week, was told there had been no representations made by Staffordshire Police however.

Pirabhuthaasun Krishnamoorthy, the designated premises supervisor, stated in his application to the council: “A CCTV system shall be installed and maintained at the premises to cover the entrance and internal public areas.

“Recorded images shall be kept for 31 days and provided to police or council officers, in a useable form, on request.”

Mr Krishnamoorthy added an incident book would be maintained at the store to record details, including dates and times, and the store would follow health and safety and fire safety laws, as well as any safety procedures required by the building’s management.

And management would maintain the area to keep it clean and tidy at all times.

Three proposed conditions were put forward before the licensing sub-committee agreed to grant the grant the premises licence for THP Food and Wine.

The conditions are:

• external cameras are to be installed on the outside of the business premises to monitor, record and deter antisocial behaviour and safeguard staff
• the shopkeeper must play a hands-on active role in keeping the area surrounding the shop clean and tidy
• deliveries to the shop should take place between 8am and 8pm, with the ability for this to be reviewed if the timing impacts on elderly residents

Councillor Ally Simcock, who chaired the panel, said: “We will grant the licence with the three conditions as requested, with an extra condition to run the Challenge 25 scheme.

“We can monitor licenced premises through police and Trading Standards to keep an eye on this.”