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Bristol City Council Blocks Off-Licence from Extended Hours over Licence Breaches

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Bristol's city centre is witnessing a struggle for licence applications amidst concerns over crime and disorder. A new off-licence, The Premier on Quay Street, has been denied permission to extend its opening hours, following two instances of licence breaches by the shop. The application sought to operate until 2am, Monday to Saturday, but the decision to refuse was made by councillors due to the consistent non-compliance with licence conditions. The off-licence only opened in June and has a history of breaching rules.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Premier off-licence, located on Quay Street in Bristol's city centre, was denied an application to extend its opening hours from 11pm to 2am.
  • The decision was made by councillors after the shop was found to have breached licence conditions twice since its opening in June.
  • The breaches included having spirits on the shop floor instead of behind the counter and having the CCTV system out by an hour.
  • The shop's licence holder failed to engage with licensing authorities and could not be contacted by the police licensing officer.
  • The city centre has a "cumulative impact area" policy, making it harder for new shops and bars to open with extended licences.
  • The police believe that adding more venues selling alcohol in the area would increase the chance of crime and disorder.
  • The four licensing objectives in the area are: preventing crime and disorder, preventing public nuisance, protecting children from harm, and keeping the public safe.
  • Conservative Councillor Richard Eddy stated that the lack of dialogue with the shop and the repeated licence breaches led to the decision to refuse the application.

Statistics:

  • The off-licence was open for only three months before the licence breaches were discovered.
  • There were two instances of licence breaches by the shop.
  • The shop had spirits on the shop floor on both inspections.
  • The CCTV system was found to be out by an hour both times.
  • The shop failed to engage with licensing authorities and could not be contacted by the police.

Sources:

  • Alex SEABROOK, Local democracy reporter alex.seabrook@reachplc.com
  • Bristol City Council sources

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