A filling station in a Cotswold village has been granted an alcohol licence with strict conditions attached following a ruling by the local authority’s licensing committee.
An application was made to South Gloucestershire Council for an alcohol licence to be awarded to the Cotswold Service Station, a small forecourt in the village of Old Sodbury.
While the forecourt is open from 6am-9pm, the application had requested an off-premises licence for 6am-11pm, with the retailer, Niza Southwater Ltd, detailing that the shop would not sell “high-strength alcohol over 6.5% ABV unless it is a premium, specialist or craft product” as a condition of the application being granted.
Further conditions in the application included a ban on the sale of single cans of beer and cider, alongside a Challenge 25 policy and a CCTV system being in operation.
While one resident in the village supported the application, highlighting the garage shop is the only retail establishment in the village, six locals objected, raising concerns primarily relating to increased traffic and anti-social behaviour in the “quiet village setting”.
The retailer’s licencing consultant, Keith Walmsley, highlighted that his client was “a responsible national operator with a strong track record of managing licensed premises”, and that other premises run by the firm “operate without any licence reviews or complaints”.
The agent also said that Niza Southwater intends “be a good neighbour”, working with local authorities and residents to resolve any issues that may occur, and highlighted that no objections had been raised against the application from relevant authorities such as police and environmental health officers.
The council ultimately granted the licence, imposing the ban on single cans of beer and cider, and high-strength alcohol aside from premium, specialist or craft products stipulated in the application, though officials shortened the hours of operation from the licence, mandating that while alcohol could be sold from 6am, it could not be sold after 10pm, rather than the 11pm finish requested. The council also mandated that a bin be placed on the forecourt, with rubbish being cleared at the beginning and end of each working day.
