Neighbours object to plans for alcohol sales at new shop

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to sell alcohol at a new shop in a south Wales town have met stiff resistance from neighbours, including the owners of a nearby axe-throwing business.

RS United Groups is preparing to open the new convenience store at 6-8 Pontygwindy Road in Caerphilly, replacing a former tanning salon.

Ian Rushton, representing the applicants, said his clients were experienced shopkeepers and wanted to sell “a wide range of goods” from their planned Caerphilly store, which they had acquired as part of a long-term lease.

He said the shopkeepers were “clearly committed to the business, to the investment, and to the area”.

But Caerphilly County Borough Council’s licensing committee also heard objections to the plans, from neighbours including Alex and Lela Georgijev, who alleged applicant Santhosh Ashireddy had fallen short of some licensing rules at another premises in Cardiff.

Mr Rushton defended his client’s record and said “any breaches of licence conditions were put right immediately”.

The Georgijevs said their axe-throwing business offered a unique situation for the committee to consider, and they had to abide by strict rules around making sure their customers were not impaired by drink.

“We are in no way against new business in Caerphilly – our concern is whether granting this alcohol licence at this particular location is appropriate, and whether the impact on neighbouring residents and businesses has been fully considered,” said Mr Georgijev.

“We have to physically assess whether [our customers] are fit for axe-throwing,” added Mrs Georgijev. “This is already a challenge – it may increase with that next door.”

The committee’s chairman, Cllr Shane Williams, pointed out a potential customer could go to another shop and buy alcohol, and suggested someone would have to drink booze from the applicant’s store very quickly before entering the axe-throwing business.

Another nearby resident, Paul Griffiths, raised concerns about parking and antisocial behaviour, and told the committee there were already problems locally linked to alcohol consumption.

“Why would you give another liquor licence to an area that already has that problem?” he asked.

Police assessment 

Mr Rushton said the police would have assessed such matters when making their own representations to the committee.

He said Mr Griffiths’ concerns about children leaving bikes outside another local shop “with respect… have got nothing to do with selling a bottle of wine” at the application site.

“There are antisocial behaviour issues in all of our communities, but it’s not something that can be blamed or attributed to a shop like this – which hasn’t even opened,” Mr Rushton said.

“We recognise the concerns of residents,” he added. “The applicants are family men – they want to run a good business. They understand the importance of being a good neighbour.”

If the application is approved, the proposed alcohol sales hours are between 7am and 11pm daily.

The committee retired to consider the evidence and will publish its decision within five working days.

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