Off licence refused permission to open 24 hours in Leeds student area
An off-licence has been refused later opening after fears were raised it may add to problem drinking in a busy student area.
The premises at 119 Victoria Road in Hyde Park faced objections after applying to open 24 hours a day.
Concerns were raised by West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council, which rejected a variation to the premises licence.
Taru Pahwa, director of Aaditya Ltd, which runs the shop, told councillors he was not planning round-the-clock opening.
He said: “We are not only focussed on alcohol. It’s for everything as a convenience store.
“All we are asking for is an extra couple of hours so we can make it profitable.”
The licensing hearing was told the shop was in a Cumulative Impact Area (CIA), classed as suffering high levels of alcohol-related crime and disorder.
Susan Duckworth, council principal licence officer, said the area was already “saturated” with shops selling alcohol.
She said: “To us, that indicates there is a high number of people with alcohol dependency issues.
“It’s an area which really does suffer from anti-social behaviour and noise complaints.”
The hearing at Leeds Civic Hall was told the shop also planned to run an alcohol delivery service.
A report to the hearing said: “This is problematic in this area as it will fuel the student parties, allowing alcohol to be delivered to the doorstep.”
Tim Goodall, Headingley and Hyde Park Green Party councillor, also formally objected.
His letter said: “Residents complain of regular noise from parties on all nights of the week.”
Councillors were told there was no reason to believe the operators were not responsible shop owners. But the licensing sub-committee unanimously refused the variation.