Concerns raised over application for new 24-hour convenience store
Twenty-eight residents have objected to plans for a 24-hour shop selling alcohol in Kimberworth Park as well as South Yorkshire Police and area councillors.
Applicant AKMS Retail Ltd has submitted plans to transform a vacant unit at 4 Ox Close Avenue into a new general convenience store, selling an ‘extensive range of goods’ including newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, groceries, household goods and hot drinks.
The applicant is also seeking authorisation from Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for the sale of alcohol 24 hours, seven days a week.
The applicant’s submission for a 24-hour alcohol license outlines that extended opening hours would provide the “greatest flexibility” for the business, allowing it to grow and operate to its full potential. The proposal states that the shop would serve as a convenience store for the local community, with alcohol sales being “just a part of the overall business.” The applicant holds a personal license and has extensive experience in retail.
However, 28 residents, local councillors and South Yorkshire Police have raised concerns about the application, worried that it may exacerbate existing antisocial behaviour, increased noise and litter, and affect the safety of elderly residents and schoolchildren, who may be exposed to intoxicated individuals and disruptive behaviour.
Residents have expressed concern that the presence of a 24-hour alcohol-selling establishment could lead to an increase in disruptive behaviour around local businesses, making it harder for workers and customers to feel safe.
One resident states in their objection that they may consider ‘ selling up and moving’ if the licence is granted.
Another branded the proposal ‘mad’, adding that the scheme ‘would be a major issue to an already fragile community’.
South Yorkshire Police said it fears that granting a 24-hour license could cause the issues to resurface, in an area that has previously been associated with anti-social behaviour (ASB), including groups of young people drinking alcohol, vaping, and taking drugs.
The police have requested changes to the proposed operating hours, limiting them to 6am to 11pm, as well as a ban on the sale of single cans of beer, lager, or cider, and a restriction on selling alcohol with an ABV of 6.5 per cent or higher. While the applicant agreed to adjust the hours to 6am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday, and 6am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, no agreement was reached on the additional conditions. The police believe that without these conditions, the risk of escalating anti-social behaviour in the area remains. As a result, they have requested that the application be rejected.
Alan Pogorzelec, licensing manager at RMBC, has also called for the application to be refused, stating that allowing 24-hour alcohol sales would undermine the prevention of crime and disorder, as well as public nuisance objectives. He added that alcohol-related ambulance callouts in the locality are already high.
Mr Pogorzelec suggested the application could be reconsidered if amended to limit alcohol sales to between 8am and 11pm, withdraw the request for late-night refreshment, and add conditions such as a minimum purchase of four cans or bottles for certain alcoholic drinks and restricting alcohol with an ABV of 6.5 per cent or higher.
The application will be discussed at the next meeting of the RMBC licensing sub-committee on March 12.