Welsh shopkeeper at odds with police and council over later booze sales

Nicholas Thomas, Local democracy reporter

A Newport shopkeeper’s hopes of selling alcohol later at night have faced opposition from police and council officers, who argue it could lead to problems for neighbours.

Ratnam Thusiyanthan, who owns a convenience store at 262 Caerleon Road, applied to open the premises from 7am to midnight each day and sell booze throughout those hours.

He appeared before the city council’s licensing committee, on Tuesday February 10, to try and persuade members to grant the new terms.

His representative, Nira Suresh from Arka Licensing Consultants, said Mr Thusiyanthan was a family man who lived above the shop and had served as the premises licence holder for the past two years.

Customers regularly ask the shopkeeper why he doesn’t open later in the evenings, he said, adding there have been “no issues” at the premises under Mr Thusiyanthan’s management.

Council licensing officer Steve Pontin set out how the store is currently allowed to open between 7am and 10pm from Monday to Saturday, and can serve alcohol until 8pm.

On Sundays, the shop can currently open from 7am to 9pm and can serve alcohol until 6pm.

He added one neighbour had objected to any extended alcohol sales in “a residential area” but later suggested a cut-off time of 9pm.

Gwent Police licensing officer Luke Dakin told the committee the force was opposed to Mr Thusiyanthan’s request to sell alcohol until midnight but had instead proposed limiting it to until 11pm daily.

He said the force wanted to take “preventative measures” against possible instances of disorder or antisocial behaviour, and urged the committee to approve conditions that would prevent the shop selling single cans to customers.

Generally speaking, he said sales of individual cans of alcohol had a “well-established link” to bad behaviour and banning them would “reduce top-up drinking”.

PC Dakin also told the committee “we don’t want the issues in the city centre to extend any further”.

The council’s licensing department advised the committee to consider a 10pm cut-off, however.

Its licensing manager Alastair Dearling said the shop was in a “predominantly residential area” where “late-night activity” risked causing noise and disturbance for neighbours.

He told the committee it was “imperative” to go no later than the police’s 11pm suggestion – and then only if “robust” conditions were applied to the licence and adhered to.

Mr Suresh said his client was willing to agree on an 11pm limit but added there was no evidence linking problems to the shop.

Following deliberations, the committee agreed to an extension of opening hours and alcohol sales to 10pm daily, and a restriction on sales of beer and cider in less than four-can packs.