A FORMER tile showroom in Woodley that lent its name to the roundabout next to it could become a convenience store.
Just Tiles closed its Headley Road store last year, and now Tajmeet Singh hopes to open a Nisa Local store in its place.
If it is granted permission to trade, it will be able to sell alcohol from 6am to 11pm on a daily basis, despite concerns it could bring ‘chaos’ to the area.
A neighbour, Mr S Singh, was concerned the hours would encourage anti-social behaviour, and cause noise and traffic problems.
They stated their cases in front of councillors at a hearing on Tuesday, February 6.
Mr S Singh said he was worried that shop customers would loiter in the car park drinking into the night. But Mr T Singh said drinking would not be allowed on the premises.
He said: “The car park is still part of the premises. That will be patrolled, that will be monitored, there will be litter bins, no alcohol consumption is allowed on the premises.”
Mr S Singh also said the proposed opening hours would cause traffic ‘chaos’ during the morning rush hour: “We know that by 8am at Just Tiles it’s completely blocked up, and if you have people trying to get into a shop to buy stuff and people trying to leave at the same time it just creates even more chaos.”
He suggested that opening hours should be 8am to 10pm Monday-Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sundays.
But Mr T Singh said a Tesco Express on nearby Hurricane Way already opened from 6am until 11pm, adding that an industrial park across the road from the proposed site already caused heavy traffic, and the application being discussed was for alcohol sales hours only – rather than opening hours.
Opening hours and traffic and parking requirements are usually determined as part of an application for planning permission. This is separate to an application for an alcohol sales license, and is decided by a council different department.
This has been submitted.
Councillors Rachel Burgess, Catherine Glover and Morag Mulvern – the members of the licensing and appeals hearings sub-committee – approved the application.
