A new mini mart at 26 Chislehurst High Street wants to sell alcohol 6am to 11pm daily. Four residents object; councillors decide on Friday 16 October.

A new mini mart on Chislehurst High Street has applied to sell alcohol from 6am to 11pm, seven days a week. Four residents have objected, so the application goes to a council hearing on Friday 16 October at 10am.

The shop is High Street Mini Mart at 26 High Street, BR7 5AN. Bromley’s Licensing Sub-Committee will hear the application at the Civic Centre on Westmoreland Road (agenda).

What the shop has asked for

The council’s licensing report sets out the application:

  • alcohol sales for consumption off the premises only
  • opening hours and alcohol sales of 06:00 to 23:00, Monday to Sunday
  • a ground-floor shop in a terrace of 11 commercial units, with one storey of flats directly above

None of the council’s responsible authorities objected. Licensing, planning, trading standards, the public health nuisance team, health and safety and the child protection team all recorded “no objection”. The Chislehurst ward councillors were told about the application on 17 August and made no comment. The public consultation closed on 18 September.

The conditions agreed with the police

The Metropolitan Police’s licensing officer for the borough said the force was “satisfied with the hours requested”, and asked the applicant to accept six conditions, and the applicant agreed on 28 August (appendices to the report). They are:

  1. CCTV covering the entrance and inside, kept for at least 31 days, with a camera at the door able to capture head-and-shoulders images of everyone coming in
  2. Challenge 25, with ID checked for anyone who looks under 25
  3. training for every member of staff who sells alcohol, refreshed every 12 months
  4. an incident register, updated within 24 hours of any incident
  5. a refusals log, open to the police and the council
  6. no beer, lager or cider stronger than 6.5% ABV, except premium, specialist or imported products

Why residents object

The four objections are published in full, without names, in the same appendices. Their main points are:

  • The hours. One objector called 17 hours a day “entirely inappropriate” for a mostly residential stretch of the High Street. Another said the street is “very quiet after 10.00pm” once Sainsbury’s closes.
  • There is already enough. Sainsbury’s at 73 High Street sells alcohol 07:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 16:00 on Sundays, one objector noted. The mini mart’s Sunday hours would be longer.
  • Street drinking and nuisance. One resident said they had seen late-night street drinking on the High Street, around the pond and in the recreation ground. Others raised litter, broken glass and noise from early deliveries.
  • Children. One objection said the shop sits on busy walking routes to local schools.
  • Shoplifting. One objector said alcohol theft had been a problem at the former Co-op on Whitehorse Hill.

What happens on Friday

The sub-committee has three councillors: Sumeet Jalan, Sheri Isa and Simon Jeal. The report makes no recommendation. Under the Licensing Act 2003 the councillors can:

  • grant the licence as applied for
  • grant it with changed hours or extra conditions
  • exclude some of the activities applied for
  • refuse it

Their decision has to rest on the four licensing objectives: preventing crime and disorder, public safety, preventing public nuisance and protecting children from harm. Anyone who took part in the hearing can appeal to the magistrates’ court.

What it means for you

  • If you live near the shop: only the people who made representations during the consultation can speak at the hearing. The meeting itself is public.
  • If a licence is granted and problems follow, any resident or business can later ask the council to review it under the Licensing Act. The council’s licensing team handles review applications.
  • The decision will appear on the meeting page. We will report it.

Sources