Neighbours are angry that a shop in a quiet part of Hereford could get a licence to sell alcohol until 2am.
Mill Street Stores, near the junction of St Owen Street, Bath Street and Green Street in the St James area of the city, applied in June to extend the current 8pm cut-off for alcohol sales until 2am seven days a week.
There were no objections from officials either within the council or from police or other external bodies. But four residents, their details redacted, formally challenged the bid.
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One Mill Street neighbour “strongly” objected, saying the noise of customers and potentially delivery drivers in the early hours “will directly disrupt the sleep of nearby residents, including working adults and children”, while also bringing increased litter, light pollution, and potential anti-social behaviour.
Another in neighbouring Green Street said the shop has already “increased the huge amount of alcohol and vapes they have”.
“We frequently suffer the noise and disruption from the Barrells and The Victory pubs after 11pm,” they wrote.
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“If customers can leave a pub at closing time and then get further supplies of alcohol, the noise will increase.”
And they added: “This is a community area where families have grown up and we all support and help each other. However, it is changing rapidly, and not for the good.”
A third nearby resident and customer of the shop for 30 years said the 2am extension “could attract the same kind of troubles found along Commercial Road late at night, where at least there are bouncers outside to help protect the public”.
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In response, the agent for the shop’s Cheltenham-based owners, who took over the shop in December, wrote a four-page letter back “respectfully inviting” the residents “to reconsider your representation”, pointing to the lack of representation from police or other authorities.
“The applicant respectfully considers that the concerns can be appropriately addressed through effective management and enforceable licence conditions rather than by refusing the application outright,” he wrote.
Given that the concerns remain, the application has been passed to Herefordshire Council’s licensing subcommittee, which will decide whether to pass it with or without changes, or reject it entirely, next Monday (August 24).
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