The Licensing Sub-Committee granted a new premises licence to Sainsbury's Supermarkets Limited for a micro store at 42-44 Friars Stile Road, Richmond Hill, TW10 6NQ. The committee also approved the minutes from previous meetings held on 18 August 2015 and 9 September 2015.

Sainsbury's Micro Store Premises Licence

The Licensing Sub-Committee granted a new premises licence to Sainsbury's Supermarkets Limited for their proposed Sainsbury's Micro convenience store at 42-44 Friars Stile Road, Richmond Hill, TW10 6NQ. The licence allows for the sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption between 07:00 and 23:00, Monday to Sunday, aligning with the store's proposed opening hours.

The application was met with some objections from interested parties, including Peter Willan and Brenda Parmiter, who raised concerns about potential increases in street drinking, anti-social behaviour, and underage drinking, particularly given the proximity to Richmond Park and local educational institutions. Councillor Thomas O'Malley also spoke against the proposed hours, citing the quiet nature of the area and the police's previous advice to a local newsagent against applying for a licence.

However, Robert Botkai, representing Sainsbury's, argued that the proposed conditions, developed in consultation with the police and interested parties, were designed to mitigate these concerns. He stated that the police were satisfied with the application and the offered conditions. Mr. Botkai also contended that there was insufficient evidence to support the claims of increased street drinking or underage sales, and that the store would not stock products typically associated with street drinking.

The Sub-Committee's decision to grant the licence was based on several factors:

• Limited Objections: They noted that there were very few objections for the area, which is predominantly residential.
• Addressed Concerns: The conditions offered and agreed upon largely addressed the committee's concerns regarding potential underage sales, excessive student sales, transient sales, and street drinking.
• Insufficient Evidence for Refusal: The evidence presented by objectors was not deemed sufficient to overcome the requirements of the Thwaites case¹, which sets a precedent for the level of evidence needed to restrict licensing hours.
• Delivery and Refuse Conditions: A specific condition was imposed regarding deliveries and refuse collection to minimise disruption to nearby residents living in flats above the shops.

The granted licence is subject to a comprehensive set of conditions, including those from the applicant's operating schedule and additional conditions agreed with the Richmond Society. These cover CCTV operation, staff training on age-restricted sales, incident recording, signage requesting quiet departures, restrictions on the display and sale of certain alcohol products (e.g., no single cans, limits on bottle sizes, and ABV content), and a commitment from Sainsbury's to send a representative to Richmond Society meetings. A condition was also imposed by the Licensing Sub-Committee to restrict deliveries and refuse collections between 22:00 and 08:00, with an exception for hand-delivered newspapers.