A NEW corner shop in a residential area of Cardiff has been given permission to sell alcohol until the early hours of the morning despite concerns from local residents and councillors.
Dozens of residents living in Birchgrove complained to the council about plans by ASR Fuel Groups Ltd to open a new convenience store at 115 Caerphilly Road until 12am throughout the week.
Chief among the concerns of people living in the area were the potential for increased anti-social behaviour issues, littering, parking issues and noise.
One local councillor, Cllr Graham Hinchey, said that there weren’t any shops that opened beyond 10pm in Birchgrove, which was described as a “delicate ecosystem” by his ward colleague, Cllr Mike Ash-Edwards.
Simon Grives, a resident of Birchgrove, said at a Cardiff Council licensing sub-committee meeting on Wednesday, February 12: “We have pubs, we have got the Co-op… we actually don’t need or want another shop like this opening until 12am or 11pm.
“It is not City Road and it is not Queen Street.”
The shop owner, Santhosh Reddy Ashireddy, initially wanted it to be open until 2am during the week. However, this was brought down following discussions with the police.
Licensing consultant, Ian Rushton from JL Licensing, told members of the council’s licensing sub-committee that Mr Ashireddy was experienced in operating licensed premises and that there were a number of conditions in place to mitigate any potential issues.
Mr Rushton, who was representing Mr Ashireddy at Wednesday’s meeting, added that the applicant was “more than able to run this new shop well”.
However, residents’ concerns were not quelled. Pamela Davies, who regularly joins in with local volunteers to litter pick in Birchgrove, said there was an existing issue with litter in the area.
Another resident, Richard Davies, said he was worried about the precedent that allowing the shop to stay open until midnight would set.
Cardiff Council ward member for Heath, Cllr Graham Hinchey, said: “There is no need [to open until midnight] from a business community point of view. We would be encouraging people to drive to this site… there would certainly be a lot more noise in the area where people live.”
Another councillor for Heath, Cllr Mike Ash-Edwards, echoed the concerns of Cllr Hinchey.
He welcomed the idea of a new business coming into the area, but added that Birchgrove was a “delicate ecosystem” and that allowing a shop to open until midnight would be a “step too far”.
Another resident of Birchgrove, Emma Gammon, said: “We would ask that alcohol is not sold after 10pm. Whilst they might have CCTV, that doesn’t stop the anti-social behaviour.
“We have a wonderful community in Birchgrove and we just want to protect it.”
Mr Rushton said the applicant already owned a number of shops in Cardiff and that they had a litter picking regime in place that would also be adopted at the new shop in Birchgrove.
He also said that concerns over potential parking issues and whether or not the shop was needed were not relevant matters for consideration in a licensing application.
Mr Rushton added that Mr Ashireddy was a “responsible operator” and that anti-social behaviour issues couldn’t be blamed on local businesses and shops.
Even if people begin to “hang around” the shop, Mr Rushton said they would be asked to move by shop staff.
Licensing sub-committee members decided to grant the licensing application subject to conditions set by South Wales Police.
