Sudbury newsagent’s alcohol licence bid refused

Brent Council rejected an application by Harshilkumar Patel, of Panav Food and Wine, in Harrow Road, Sudbury, to sell alcohol between 10am and 11pm daily.

It cited concerns around an exacerbation of issues related to street drinking and anti-social behaviour in the area as a reason for refusal.

Damien Smith, of the Metropolitan Police’s licensing team, said another off-licence in this road is “the last thing we need” given there are already eight similar shops, including some with 24-hour licences.

He said the police were “failing the area” at present given the high number of anti-social behaviour problems and said introducing another newsagent selling alcohol would only make things worse.

His objections were backed up by licensing officers from Brent Council who questioned what benefit another off-licence would bring to the area.

They pointed out that applications can be approved if they can show they are going “above and beyond” to counteract any social issues and protect the public but, in Mr Patel’s case, he was asking for “more of the same”.

Officers and police representatives also said they had no contact with Mr Patel over his application, despite attempts to reach out.

Mr Patel, through his legal agent, said he would mainly look to appeal to Indian families through the sale of frozen food and small amounts of alcohol to have with meals.

He added other products popular with Asian communities, such as paan, a stimulating leaf and nut mixture that is chewed, would be promoted to offer something different to the other, typical off-licences along the road.

His agent also explained that Mr Patel has experience of running off-licences in Ealing, as well as a pub in Long Eaton.

However, the licensing committee felt he did not provide adequate evidence to suggest he could operate the business while protecting the area from issues such as crime and disorder and public nuisance.