Birmingham store gets alcohol licence despite local fury

A Birmingham store has been granted permission to sell booze all day despite a Muslim community’s fury and allegations from a rival shop connecting the building with class A drugs.

A 100-name petition to halt the plans said: “There is no demand or need for another off-licence in a growing Muslim community that does not consume alcohol.”

But, licence chiefs decided to grant the application to sell alcohol as long as the applicant sticks to the hours agreed with West Midlands Police. Lea Hall Local, also known as Abi’s convenience on Lea Hall Road, Garretts Green will now be open for booze from 7 am until 11 pm Monday to Saturday.

A statement from the licensing team read: “Members carefully considered the representations made in the meeting by the other businessman, and the petition which he had submitted, but did not find that there was an overwhelming evidential and causal link between the issues raised and the effect on the licensing objectives.”

Mr Garcia, who owns the shop next door, had created a petition against the alcohol licence and also claimed that the premises had previously been used to sell class A drugs. His petition received over 100 signatures from many angry Muslims who rejected the idea of another shop selling alcohol in a mainly Muslim community.

In last Wednesday’s Birmingham Licensing Committee Mr Garcia gave a lengthy statement outlining his objections. He said: “Our concerns are not about competition, we’re not worried about competition because we’ve been here that long.

“We know the community and we know the people and 7am is way too early. There are now a lot of vulnerable people and the only people that are going to suffer are the children.

“There are ex-alcoholics, drugs, gambling, things like that, and they’re trying to get off it. All we’re doing is extending entitlement.

“People will be going to buy a loaf of bread and will be buying a drink with it which is not what we want. So we’ve got over 100 signatures here just in my area and all they are saying is we don’t need it, we don’t want it.”

But, the Birmingham City Council Licensing Team decided to rule against the objections, especially as the main objector Mr Garcia held his own alcohol licence with a similar operating schedule.

They said: “It appeared that the neighbouring businessman was a premises licence holder himself, two doors down in the same road, and the hours of his own licence were similar to those which the applicant had agreed with the police.

“The sub-committee was satisfied that trading would be safe, and noted that the applicant was an experienced person.”