A Huddersfield headteacher’s worries about a new shop’s alcohol license were dismissed as the council approved the application despite objections.
Huddersfield: A headteacher’s concerns about a new shop selling alcohol near a school have been overlooked. The council has given the green light for the shop to operate.
The Licensing Panel met recently to discuss the application for a premises license at the old Canton Chinese Takeaway site. The plan is to turn it into a convenience store that would sell alcohol off the premises.
The initial request was to sell alcohol until 2am on weekdays and 4am on weekends. But this raised eyebrows, leading to four objections, including one from Helen Pearson, the headteacher at Moldgreen Primary School.
To address the concerns, the shop owner proposed shorter hours, from 8am to 11pm on weekdays and until midnight on weekends. But most objectors felt this still wasn’t enough.
Ms. Pearson voiced her worries at the meeting, saying that having a shop like this so close to the school could expose kids to unsafe situations. She pointed out existing issues like litter and traffic, fearing the new shop would only make things worse.
She argued that there are already shops nearby that sell alcohol, so there’s no need for another one so close to children. Environmental Health also chimed in, suggesting that 11pm would be a better closing time to reduce noise for local residents.
The applicant’s representative defended the proposal, saying that even without a license, the shop would still attract customers. They insisted that the alcohol license wouldn’t create more problems than already exist.
In the end, the panel approved the license but with stricter hours. Alcohol can now be sold from 8am to 11pm every day, and the shop must keep the area clean and maintain a log of litter disposal.
