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Birmingham considers new licensing scheme
Mon 30 Nov 2009
Councillors in Birmingham are to discuss a proposal which would make it more difficult for shops to obtain a licence to sell alcohol.
Some members of the City Council have become concerned about the number of businesses licensed to sell alcohol in the city centre, reports the Birmingham Mail.
In the past six months the Council's licensing committee has received more than 30 new applications from food shops, petrol stations and newsagents to sell alcohol, together with a further 18 to vary the terms of an existing licence.
Councillor Nigel Dawkins told the newspaper the number of new off licences had led to the price of alcohol falling and suggested this could cause an increase in anti-social behaviour.
Members of the council's licensing committee are to discuss the extension of the Broad Street cumulative impact zone. This creates a rebuttable presumption that any new licence application will be refused.
The number of off licences is also an issue in Cardiff and police have said they will oppose any applications for a new licence or to extend an existing one in the St Mary Street area of the city. Tesco's application for a new licence on St Mary Street was refused on 13 November 2009.
Robert Botkai, partner and head of Property and Licensing at Winckworth Sherwood comments: "The strict enforcement of a cumulative impact policy can have undesirable effects. Those with existing licences are effectively given protection from new competition. We are already seeing traders opposing applications for new licences in their area and using the Council's policy as an excuse to keep competition away. It is very important that Councils treat every application on its merits. It is only a matter of time before such a policy is tested in the High Court."
