Off-licence to open later despite objections

An off-licence has been granted permission to sell alcohol until the early hours of the morning despite residents and councillors claiming it would contribute to anti-social behaviour.

Sheffield City Council granted a licence to Liquor Local to open on West Street in thee city, where there are already 12 bars and six off-licences.

Residents association Changing Sheff and city centre councillors had wanted the shop to close at 02:00 but the licensing committee agreed it could open from 08:00 until 04:00.

Councillor Douglas Johnson said: "If you can buy a bottle of vodka at 3am nothing good is going to come out of that."

He told the meeting: "When most people have gone home and you have a few people still hanging about in the city centre between 3am and dawn, that is the danger time.

"You have people who are really drunk and incapacitated and that is when you get those serious incidents such as stabbings or people collapsing with excessive alcohol. It overlaps with people sleeping rough and the interactions there.

"It is not the time to be allowing fresh sales of alcohol."

Residents and city centre councillors have called for a policy to control alcohol sales in the area.

Peter Sephton of Changing Sheff said: "For ten years we have been asking for a cumulative impact policy and for ten years the council has ignored the situation.

"The policies were introduced as a tool to limit the growth of licensed premises in a problem area.

"Sheffield the only city council in the region, from Leeds to Nottingham and from Hull to Manchester, not to have a policy."

Liquor Local told the meeting customers would not have any access to alcohol apart from through the service hatch at the counter.

Street drinkers would also be refused the sale of alcohol and employees would monitor the area outside the shop and disperse loitering groups.

The store would have CCTV and staff would report any antisocial behaviour to police immediately.

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