Roodford off-licence denied permission for late night booze sale   

A South Woodford off-licence hoping to sell alcohol until at least midnight was refused by Redbridge Council.

Woodford Express on George Lane originally applied to the council’s licensing committee asking to sell alcohol until 3am from Thursday to Saturday and 1am on all other days.

At a meeting to discuss the request on October 16, however, a representative for the business agreed this was excessive and said they were now only asking to sell alcohol until midnight.

The off-licence is located in a Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), where there are existing problems due to alcohol, meaning applications should only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Regarding their decision, the sub-committee wrote they could “see no reason” to extend the hours beyond those normally allowed by the council.

They noted the premises is “located in an area with many residents and significant problems of alcohol related crime and disorder”.

They added: “We do not believe additional conditions could be attached to the licence to overcome these fears. Therefore, that application… is refused.”

At the meeting, a spokesperson told the committee the business had “never had a major issue or problem related to the sale of alcohol”.

He said: “I believe that an hour extension to midnight is appropriate for people who leave their work and do a quick shop before going home.

“The shop has been there for many years, it’s just a good convenience store. We do not want to attract alcoholic people, we do not want to encourage that.”

However, Police constable Anton Brown argued that “selling alcohol to anyone at that time is likely to encourage drunkenness”.

He said: “The police concern is very simple: if the licence is granted, we believe there will be additional problems in the area.

“Any call that off-licence makes after 11pm will be an additional burden (on police).”

Licensing enforcement officer Priya Cheema agreed the application should not be granted as it would “attract those who are already intoxicated leaving the pubs and bars”.

She said: “When customers are intoxicated, it could lead to violent crime such as assaults and increased footfall in the area could lead to residents being disturbed by noise.

“The applicant has not demonstrated how they would mitigate any problems that may occur. The hours currently are more than appropriate for an off-licence in a CIZ.”