Tredegar retailer gets alcohol licence but lesser hours than nearby shops

In a bid to curb alcohol-fuelled  anti-social behaviour, a Tredegar shopkeeper has been given a licence to sell alcohol only from 10am to 7pm by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.

Nearby shops are allowed to sell alcohol up to 11pm and one voluntarily stops selling alcohol at 7pm.

At a meeting of the council’s licensing sub-committee on 28 July, councillors looked at an application by Jegatheeswaran Thevarasa.

Thevarasa wanted an alcohol licence for his convenience store at Glyn Terrace, Tredegar, from 7am to 11pm.

Local residents had objected to the licence due to major issues in the past.

They told the committee that youths had drunk alcohol nearby and gone on the “rampage,” damaging property and cars.

John Shepherd said: “We have two shops selling alcohol in a short distance I don’t think we need third.”

Cllr John Morgan who represents the Georgetown area of Tredegar said that he’d asked for CCTV and increased police presence to deal with the problems.

Cllr Morgan explained that the problems seemed to stop when a convenience store closed.

A new one opened and after discussions between the owner, neighbours, and the police the premises decided to stop selling alcohol at 7pm.

Cllr Morgan said: “There’s a big difference between 7pm and 11pm, the area is considerably quieter.

“We have a duty to stem the growth of anti-social behaviour.

“I would like an applicant to wait 12 months and allow locals the chance to get to know them.”

The committee were told by Leigh Schelvis who was represented Thevarasa that he has other shops in both Bargoed and Pontypridd.

Thevarasa and his wife would run the shop and live above it in Tredegar.

They would employ staff at a later date.

Schelvis said:  “He’s been operating for eight years, both shops have alcohol licences, he’s never had a premises licence revoked by any authority or received criticism or regulatory enforcement of any kind.”

Licensing office Helen Jones told the committee that other convenience stores in the area had alcohol licences from 7am to 11pm.

Jones said: “It’s just an agreement that they have made to stop selling alcohol at 7pm. They have a licence until 11pm.”

Committee chairman Cllr Hodgins, along with councillors Lisa Winnett and Clive Meredith, retired to discuss the evidence.

Upon their return, Cllr Hodgins said: “We are happy to grant a licence subject to a restriction on the operating hours.

“We are happy to grant the licence and the operating hours of the establishment will be 10am until 7pm.”

He added that it had been demonstrated that stopping the sale of alcohol at 7pm had helped curb anti-social behaviour in the area.

“As a committee we wanted to allow fair play to everyone,” said Cllr Hodgins.