A woman who lives above an Acton shopping centre fears alcohol sales at its new B&M store could make the area’s existing anti-social behaviour worse.
Alice Driver, who lives above The Oaks Shopping Centre, has formally objected to the store’s bid for a new premises licence. She cited a rise in anti-social behaviour and suspected drug-related activity in the area. B&M, which opened just two weeks before the hearing, applied for a licence to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises from 7am to 11pm every day.
At a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing, Ms Driver said she welcomes the store itself. Her worry is that selling alcohol, particularly as late as 11pm, could add to the problems residents already face. She described seeing drug-related items and large amounts of rubbish in and around the shopping centre, and said she regularly hears noise and disturbances. The area around the nearby cemetery, she said, appears to be a hotspot for this kind of activity.
“My main concern was just if this was going to make it worse having the store open at late times and whatnot,” she told the committee.
Ms Driver made clear that she objects only to the alcohol sales and the late hours requested. She said the B&M store itself would bring convenience.
B&M has set out a number of measures to stop alcohol being sold to under-18s. Prominent notices at the tills will warn that it is an offence to buy alcohol if under 18 and that a Challenge 25 policy is in force. Staff will be trained on alcohol sales when they join, with refresher training afterwards, covering how to spot signs of intoxication and how to handle refusals. Every till will show an electronic prompt for age-restricted products, and alcohol sales at self-service tills will need staff authorisation. The store will also keep an electronic refusals register, and CCTV will cover all public trading areas, including the tills.
Ms Driver noted that what she referred to as 'B&M's' submissions stated they would implement CCTV, security staff when needed, and a dispersal strategy. The store's floor plan shows the proposed alcohol sales area would cover the whole of the trading area to allow for flexibility of display, but alcohol display will be less than 10% of the trading area.
While the committee acknowledged her concerns, they also advised Ms Driver to contact her ward councillors about the issues in the graveyard area, suggesting that these matters could be addressed separately from the licensing application.
When it makes its decision, the Licensing Sub-Committee will be guided by the council’s Statement of Licensing Policy and by guidance from the Secretary of State.
Councillors will also weigh up several local factors. They will look at whether the store’s operating plans show it can meet management standards. They will consider how close it is to people’s homes and how residents could be affected, including noise and nuisance from customers leaving. They will also check whether the store can show it has systems in place to make sure customers move on promptly.
Any conditions the committee attaches to a licence must be appropriate to promote at least one of the four licensing objectives. These are preventing crime and disorder, public safety, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm. Conditions should also be based on the relevant representations the committee has received.
