Plans for alcohol sales at new convenience store are refused

BCP Council has rejected an application for a premises licence at an empty unit in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth.

It follows concerns raised by Dorset Police, who said the area "already experiences a disproportionate number of street drinkers, anti-social behaviour and crime”.

Nicholas Gregory of Christchurch Road Stores Ltd had applied for a licence to sell alcohol from the site, which was most recently operated as a Sprinkles gelato.

• Read more: Police concern at town centre convenience store alcohol sales

A proposed layout submitted as part of the application indicated the store will trade as a Premier convenience store.

Dorset Police objected to the application, suggesting a premises licence could fuel "alcohol-related" crime in the town centre.

In response, the applicant submitted a letter offering options for consideration regarding the provision of off sales, but police did “not consider these sufficient” in addressing their concerns.

The unit at 62 Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth (Image: NQ)

At a BCP Council licensing sub-committee meeting on February 9, members looked to determine the applicant’s understanding of the issues raised by police and his role in mitigating them.

The minutes say: “In presenting the application and responding to questions, the applicant and his representative were unable to demonstrate the level of understanding of the licensing objectives which the sub-committee would expect.

“They were unable to show sufficient appreciation of the negative impact of off-sales on street drinking and anti-social behaviour in such a sensitive area of the town centre.”

The committee also felt that there was a “lack of detail and clarity” in how the applicant intended to operate the licence.

This included the "letter of options" put forward by the application, which was said to lack “sufficient detail” and “thought”.

A decision was made to refuse the application, with the meeting concluding: “The sub-committee had no confidence that the applicant would be able to operate the premises safely without adding to the existing issues in the area and undermining the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety licensing objective and therefore, the sub-committee unanimously agreed to refuse the application.”