Call for tighter restrictions on number of Sheffield venues selling booze

A councillor has criticsed the number of premises that sell alcohol on Abbeydale Road, and in other places across the city. Picture: Google

Councillor Bob Pullin, member of the licensing committee, raised the issue during a recent meeting.

He said: "There are several areas, including on the conjunction of the road leading to Virgin Gyms and London Road, Abbeydale Road where at the moment we have a public house, an alcohol shop, a gin palace, a craft beer shop and a sit inside beer house and just across the road there are six continuous premises all selling alcohol. This is on a major bus route, serving school travel in both directions.

"I have to admit my thinking on this is outdatedely conditioned by my previous service on the magistrates licensing service committee when we did have the power and exercised it meticulously not to licence more than three alcohol licensed premises within circular area of about a mile.

"It seems to me licensing in our case now is completely out of control and my question is do we have the powers to limit the number of licensed premises in a given area and if not, should we? Because at the moment it’s better than a mushroom growing yard."

Claire Bower, council officer, confirmed the licensing committee did not have such power.

She said: "We aren’t able to consider need, that’s under the planning remit. We can only look at proposing a cumulative impact policy if there are areas of serious problems like crime and disorder.

"I understand what you are saying about there being a lot of premises in that area but they are not problematic premises that area causing complaints, nuisance, anything like that so it’s not something that we have sufficient evidence to be able to impose a cumulative impact policy under the legislation.”

Coun Pullin replied: "There is a feeling among some of us that we are no longer in control alcohol-wise of our own destinies, it is completely out of order. We must at some stage coldly, calmly and rationally look at some means whereby we are predictive and preventative."

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