Booze Bin’s request for a 24/7 alcohol license was denied due to antisocial behavior concerns.
Police worried that alcohol could cause problems. Street drinking and bad behavior were concerns. Students partying around the shop concerned them. Council officers shared these worries. Local politicians also objected to the new license.
Alex Sobel, a Labour MP, was one of them. Ward councilors also voiced their disagreement. Hyde Park has changed over time.
More families now live there, officials said. It used to be mostly a student area, the hearing learned. A public health officer named Jonathan Hindley spoke.
He noted many student parties happen. He said the shop could fuel late-night alcohol access. The area already has many alcohol shops. It is known as a Cumulative Impact Area or CIA. The area also has rules against bad behavior. This is a public spaces protection order or PSPO. The shop is located within the area.
Shops in CIAs must not worsen problems, they heard. Booze Bin did not attend the hearing. The sub-committee met on Tuesday about this. Susan Duckworth is a principal licensing officer.
She felt Booze Bin lacked seriousness. She said they didn’t seem to care about the area. A 24-hour license does not fit the neighborhood, she stated. The committee voted to reject the application.
They all agreed the license should not be changed. They didn’t approve Booze Bin’s application. Councilor Luke Farley led the meeting.
He said the applicant should have shown up. He felt it was disrespectful to ignore the hearing. Other councilors objected along with him.
They included Abdul Hannan, Jonathan Pryor, and Tim Goodall. They were not in favour of the license. Booze Bin can sell alcohol until 11 PM at the moment. This is from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, the closing time is 10:30 PM.