Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 38 of 19^th May 2026, the Licensing Sub-Committee was reconvened to consider an application (made in accordance with Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003) for the grant of a Premises Licence in respect of premises situated at 21 Monkwood Road, Rotherham S62 7JN.

The applicant, Mr. Heward Shinwari, was seeking authorisation to allow the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises on the days of Monday to Saturday between 0700 and 2300 hours and Sunday between 0800 and 2200 hours.

Mr. Shinwari was present together with Mr. Taimor Hairat (supporter).  Mr. Ibrarulhaq Amin was the independent interpreter, arranged by the Local Authority, to assist Mr. Shinwari during the hearing.

As established at the previous hearing, 15 “Other Persons” had made representations to the application opposing the granting of the application during the consultation period.  The representations of the Licensing Authority had been withdrawn due to the conditions having been accepted by the applicant and the application subsequently amended.  If the Sub-Committee was minded to grant the application, the 14 conditions would automatically applied to Annex 2 of the licence.

Subsequent to the first meeting, Mr. Shinwari had been requested to supply confirmation of his Personal Licence and a copy of the lease.  The documents had been supplied and were to the satisfaction of the Licensing Service.  Mr. Shinwari had also supplied further information in support of his application which was attached at Appendix 6 of the agenda.

In response to questions, the applicant, via the interpreter, provided the following information:-

-        Allegations that one of the objectors had deliberately caused trouble for his proposed new business to prevent it from opening

-        Mr. Shinwari would be the Designated Premises Supervisor.  There would be two other employees who would be trained to look after the premises

-        Mr. Shinwari’s spoken English was quite good, however, the atmosphere of the meeting made him nervous.  Ms. Kraus confirmed that she had spoken to Mr. Shinwari following the last meeting and that his standard of English was understandable

-        Mr. Taimor would assist Mr. Shinwari in training the employees

-        During the first month of trading Mr. Taimor would also be in the shop to help Mr. Shinwari

-        Mr. Shinwari explained the principles of Challenge 25 and the situations where he would not serve alcohol

-        The shop was currently closed pending the outcome of the meeting

-        If there was a medical emergency at the shop, the employees would speak better English than Mr. Shinwari who would be able to summon help from the emergency services.  However, in Mr. Shinwari’s home country, they were all taught as children how to do to CPR/what to do in an emergency

-        The parked vehicles were blocking access to his premises

-        Mr. Shinwari clarified the methods of ID that were acceptable for the sale of alcohol

The Sub-Committee considered the supporting comments, both in person and written, which could be summarised as follows:-

-        The presence of another premises selling alcohol in such close proximity raised concerns with regard to increased anti-social behaviour including street drinking, disorder and potential crime in the immediate area

-        Risk that granting of the licence would contribute to increased noise, littering and loitering particularly during late hours.  This would impact negatively on local residents and nearby businesses

-        May increase exposure and accessibility of alcohol to underage individuals

-        Increased concentration of alcohol outlets within a small area may lead to greater risk of incidents affecting public safety particularly during evenings and weekends

-        A shop selling alcohol opposite a secondary school was not the best position for such an outlet

-        Alleged criminal damage and wilful destruction of vehicles parked outside the proposed premises.  The vehicles had been parked there for some time and there had never been any problems with them

-        Anti-social behaviour already existed in the area – fears that a third off-licence would exacerbate the problems

-        Increased traffic and parking congestion

-        The external lights and noise from shutters particularly early morning and late at night

-        No rear adequate access to the property for storage and waste removal

-        The parking in front of No. 21 was for everyone/anyone

Arising from the discussion/questions, the Licensing Service and Legal Service provided the following clarification:-

-        Any building/renovation work taking place within the premises did not fall within the remit of the Licensing Sub-Committee

-        The Personal Licence Scheme was dictated through Government and there were prescribed approved trainers; it was not within the control or remit of the Local Authority

-        Parking was not a specific consideration to be taken into account when making a Licensing decision

Resolved:-  That the application for the grant of a Premises Licence in respect of premises in respect of premises  situated at 21 Monkwood Road, Rotherham S62 7JN be approved subject to the inclusion of the 14 management control conditions applied to Annex 2.