New bid to sell alcohol from Hastings convenience store

On August 6, a Hastings Borough Council licensing panel is due to consider an application for the off-sale of alcohol from Forever Food and Wine in Harold Place.

The property had previously held a premises licence, but this was suspended and surrendered following concerns linked to its former management.

The business has since changed hands, with a new premises licence being sought by Hetalben Thakkar of V&K Private Limited.

While V&K Private Limited is unconnected to the previous store, a council sub-committee turned down a similar application from the business in January last year.

In a written decision from the time, councillors said they had concerns around the ‘likelihood of a return of alcohol-related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour, and associated public nuisance, in the immediate vicinity, fuelled by alcohol purchased from licensed premises at this address’.

Councillors said the store is in the town’s Cumulative Impact Zone, an area where new authorisations for the sale of alcohol are normally refused.

The current application seeks to address previous concerns, Mr Thakkar says.

In a statement submitted as part of the application, Mr Thankkar said: “We recognise the concern that the reintroduction of an off-sales alcohol supply point could potentially attract individuals who engage in street drinking or other anti-social behaviour.

“We therefore acknowledge that standard licence conditions alone are not sufficient for this location and that strong, proactive, and consistent management is essential.

“The purpose of this application is not simply to obtain permission to sell alcohol but to demonstrate that the premises will operate with a higher level of responsibility and control than previously experienced at this address.”

The application says greater controls will include CCTV and policies around refusing alcohol sales to underage or intoxicated customers.

The policies, the application says, will be overseen by ‘an experienced and responsible management team’.

Sussex Police and the council’s licensing department raised concerns around ‘re-introducing’ alcohol sales in the area.

In a statement, Inspector Simon Burroughs of Sussex Police Licensing said: “When the premises had a license the street drinkers would frequent this particular premises and purchase their alcohol and go on to commit disorder and public nuisance within the town centre and the surrounding residential properties opposite the premises and including the underpass that connects from the town centre to the beach.

“Since the premises had stopped selling alcohol the area that was once a magnet for street drinkers has now seen them no longer congregating in that area or causing much [antisocial behaviour] that was a regular occurrence when they were selling alcohol.”

If approved without changes, the licence being sought would allow for the off-sale of alcohol between 10am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and between 10am and 8pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.