Extra hours granted to Plumstead off licence – but with a strict 11pm policy

By Cameron Blackshaw, Local Democracy Reporter

A Plumstead off licence has been granted permission to extend the hours in which it can sell alcohol but it still won’t be able to stay open past midnight.

Santhiya Convenient Store at 9 Brewery Road applied to remain open and sell alcohol until 1.30am every day, but Greenwich council has only permitted the shop to stay open until midnight and it has to stop serving alcohol at 11pm.

Santhiya’s owner Rasa Logan applied to extend his shop’s opening hours because he claimed his business had been impacted significantly after a newly-opened Post Office next door was granted a premises licence.

During a meeting of the council’s licensing sub-committee C last week, Mr Logan’s legal representative Suresh Kanapathi said that Santhiya’s takings had “dropped massively” since the opening of Brewery Road Post Office.

Santhiya was open from 6am to 11pm daily, with the off licence able to sell alcohol between 9am and 10pm. Following its successful licensing application, the shop can now remain open and serve late night refreshments (such as vended coffee and hot snacks) until midnight.

Its alcohol sale hours have also been extended by two hours, with the new license allowing booze to be sold between 8am and 11pm every day.

Greenwich council did not grant the full licensing request because of representations made by various public authorities which were police, public and environmental health.

All three bodies requested the proposed 1.30am closing time be reduced as they claimed the extended alcohol sale hours could increase the possibility of antisocial behaviour, street drinking and public nuisance in a residential area.

The granting of the new license is subject to a number of conditions, including the installation and operation of CCTV. Two members of staff must be on duty past 9pm and no high strength beers, ciders, lagers or spirit mixers with an ABV of 6.5 per cent can be sold at the premises.

Pictured top: The ‘Santhiya Convenient Store’ in Plumstead (Picture: Google Street View)