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    Re-opened North Staffordshire c-store gets go-ahead to sell booze

    A Google Street View Image Of The Newcastle Road Premises Now Occupied By Talke Express

    A North Staffordshire convenience store has been given the go-ahead to sell booze – despite residents’ concerns that antisocial behaviour and littering problems will return to their area.

    Talke Express has reopened under new ownership after being closed for more than a year.

    The Talke Pits premises on the A34 Newcastle Road was previously licensed to sell alcohol from 9am to 9pm, but the licence was surrendered when the previous bosses ceased trading.

    A fresh premises licence application put forward by Rajan Regahunath proposed extending the alcohol sales times however, starting at 6am and ending at 11pm. An extra two hours’ alcohol sales was requested for Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Years’ Eve.

    The proposals sparked two objections from residents in nearby Swan Close, who spoke at a licensing hearing on Wednesday (September 23).

    Dave Gaunt, one of the objectors, said: “I understand that the gentleman wants to run a business and I have no objection to him running a business whatsoever. I think the hours of selling alcohol from six in the morning to 11 at night – and then until one in the morning over the Christmas period – is ridiculous, particularly when (Prime Minister Boris Johnson) has said pubs must close at 10pm.

    “I think it’s irresponsible for an off-licence to be serving alcohol when the pubs are closed. You will just get groups congregating and flouting the laws of six. I would suggest, if he wants to sell alcohol, certainly no later than eight at night.”

    Anita Aynsley, another objector, said: “I would like you to modify the application, reduce the hours that it is open to limit the time that alcohol is being bought from that shop and people are loitering in Swan Close. There is a lot of elderly people up that road that it will affect.”

    Glyn Cross, who spoke on behalf of the applicant, told the hearing there were no representations made by any responsible authorities, such as police or the council’s environmental health department, during the consultation period however.

    He said: “In the report the officer states there is no historic evidence of complaints received in relation to this premises. This would seem to show the council has not received any complaints or reports of the premises during all the time that it was licensed.

    “None of the objections have got evidence that there have been problems in the past. You can’t use a crystal ball to say there is going to potentially be an increase in antisocial behaviour or littering when there has been no evidence of that happening in the past.

    “Both objectors claim that if the shop is granted a licence there will be an increase in antisocial behaviour and littering. There’s certainly no evidence that granting a licence will lead to an increase in problems in the area.”

    Cross added that there were other premises in the area that had licenses to sell alcohol until 11pm. “There would be no reason to apply reduced hours to Talke Express when all the similar premises in the area have licences that mirror the hours in the application,” he said.

    Licensing conditions put forward before the meeting included installing CCTV outside the shop and a daily litter sweep outside the shop. The panel added requirements for a bin to be installed outside the premises and litter sweeps to take place the times a day.

    Councillor Graham Hutton, who chaired the hearing, told the objectors: “If things don’t go to plan and there is antisocial behaviour or increased littering, once you have photographic evidence of litter you can ask Environmental Health to conduct a review. If it’s antisocial behaviour please note every item including time – and if you can get evidence – take it to police.

    “If you are still unhappy you can ask for the council to undertake an independent review or you can conduct your own, but it must be evidence-based. You can then bring that back to the licensing committee.

    “It’s all down to the shop owner to show that he has listened very carefully to residents and taken your views into consideration. We do note that he has offered to provide litter picking and a litter bin.”

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