Kingston corner shop wins battle to sell alcohol in neighbourhood ‘plagued by violent groups’

A corner shop in south London has won its battle to sell alcohol despite neighbours claiming the area is plagued by violent people, broken glass and anti-social behaviour. Residents of Red Lion Road in Tolworth had launched a petition against Thornhill Food and Wine’s plans to sell alcohol from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 10pm on Sundays.

But the Kingston Municipal Council’s Licensing Committee granted the license after a hearing on July 30. The committee concluded that the problems reported by residents were not related to the business.

Rathani, who did not give her surname, told the hearing that residents of Red Lion Road were against the plans because there were already too many shops in the area selling alcohol at night. She said residents were often disturbed by noisy passers-by at night and allowing the shop on Thornhill Road, at the junction with Red Lion Road, to sell alcohol would likely increase the disturbance.

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Rathani added: “We also have a problem with the amount of garbage in our area – beer cans and food packaging that are thrown on the streets every day. This also includes parents who walk on the streets in the morning and run around among broken glass caused by alcohol consumption.”

“In the morning, primary and secondary school students walk around the streets. Why do they have to feel vulnerable or uncomfortable with antisocial behaviour such as noise, shouting, fighting, aggressive behaviour and littering just before school starts?”

“Public nuisance has already reached a problem level for the police”

A petition presented to the council ahead of the hearing and signed by 26 residents added: “Granting a licence would create another source of alcohol in an area where there are already so many licensed premises that crime, disorder and public nuisance have already reached a level of concern for the local police.”

However, Suresh Kanapathi, the agent in charge of the application, said he saw no reason to prohibit the store from selling alcohol during the requested hours. He said the application was drafted “very responsibly” with strict conditions that would prevent crime, disorder and public nuisance.

A report on the committee’s decision to grant the licence said the proposed conditions addressed all concerns about the application, saying there was “no connection between the applicant’s operation and the alleged poor parking facilities, road noise and anti-social behaviour of schoolchildren on their way to school”.

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