A Cornwall Council meeting has heard fears that a proposal to open an off licence called The Booze Bay in St Austell will exacerbate the town's street drinking problem.
A licensing sub-committee met yesterday (Wednesday, August 26) to hear an application by Kirsty and Ghofran Elsayed, who run a shop in Ascot, Berkshire, to open an off licence and convenience store selling vapes, cigarettes and groceries called The Booze Bay in Fore Street, St Austell.
Councillors heard that Devon and Cornwall Police had suggested further conditions to the premises licence proposal, including CCTV, staff training, that no alcohol above 6% ABV or single cans or bottles should be sold, and all spirits must be stored behind the serving counter, not on the shop floor.
The police suggested the additional conditions because "St Austell experiences a problem with alcohol-related antisocial behaviour which can, in part, be linked to street drinking".
The application had received six objections, including from St Austell Town Council and St Austell Business Improvement District (BID), the town's business organisation, who all cited the possibility of an off licence in the town centre exacerbating antisocial behaviour and crime in a town which, it was pointed out, has been landed
Fears Booze Bay Will Worsen St Austell’s Street Drinking Problem