Bournville newsagent alcohol sale approval criticised Published duration 30 September 2015

image copyright Google Maps image caption Mary Vale News owner Kamal Sharma says his customers want him to sell alcohol

A newsagent has received permission to sell alcohol on the edge of the "dry" area in Bournville in Birmingham.

A ban on selling alcohol in shops in the area has been in place since the village was built by Quaker chocolate baron George Cadbury in 1890.

No objections were lodged by Bournville Village Trust (BVT) as landlords, as Mary Vale News is outside the trust's boundary, the city council said.

However, local councillor Rob Sealey said the decision was "catastrophic".

He told the Birmingham Mail it went against "120 years of history and heritage in Bournville".

Newsagent owner Kamal Sharma said he was "quite pleased" and could "serve the people in a better way" at his store, on Mary Vale Road.

Asked why he applied for the licence, after being in Bournville for seven years, he said Cadbury's shedding of staff in recent years had had a negative impact on local businesses.

"I am right opposite the factory. Customers were asking me all the time 'do you sell beers and wines?'"

Crime fears

Lynda Clinton, licensing sub-committee chair, said submissions made for and against his application by residents and councillors had been "carefully considered".

She said people opposed raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder, and the impact licensing a convenience store to sell alcohol would have on the "unique character" of Bournville village.

But she said no objections were lodged by West Midlands Police and there was "no evidence" presented to the committee to suggest licensing objectives "would not be upheld".

She said: "Local residents who attended (Tuesday's) meeting were strongly in favour of the application being approved."

Mr Sharma said he could sell alcohol from 10:00 until 21:00.

He said: "The conditions are we have to put some (signage) outside the shop and inside the shop. I've haven't got that decision yet but I'm waiting for what the wording will be exactly."

The council said Bournville Village Trust Conservation Area, where the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises was not permitted, was only part of Bournville ward.