‘Irresponsible’ plans for an off-licence to sell alcohol until 4am have been given the green-light.
On Tuesday, January 7, Sheffield City Council ’s licensing sub-committee approved Halshaw Mohamad Fahil’s application for Liquor Local, located in West Street, Sheffield, near the junction of Mappin Street, to open from 8am to 4am daily. The decision came despite objections from Peter Sephton, representing the city centre residents’ group Changing Sheff, and City ward councillor Douglas Johnson, speaking for all three ward members.
The store will be required to have a toughened glass screen between customers and staff with all alcohol kept behind that. Street drinkers will not be permitted to purchase alcohol.
Other conditions include no sales of single cans of high-alcohol beers, ciders or alcopops and a strict Challenge 25 policy. Customers will be asked not to gather outside the shop to minimise any disturbance and anyone refused service twice will be banned from the premises on the third occasion.
The sub-committee rejected a request by the objectors to impose a closing time of 2am, instead of 4am. Mr Sephton, who chairs Changing Sheff, expressed his group’s concern about the high number of off-licences in such a small area which already experiences high levels of crime and disturbance as there are three other off-licences nearby, including one opposite.
He revealed that 170 crimes were reported in the area in October 2024, stating: “Here we are, adding another source of crime much of that violence and sexual offences are caused by excessive alcohol.
Peter Sephton, of Changing Sheff city centre residents’ association, objected to a new off licence on West Street that was granted by Sheffield City Council
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“There’s still no cumulative impact policy after we’ve asked for one for the last 10 years.”
Mr Sephton expressed his disappointment at the absence of such a policy, which he believes would empower the licensing authority to reject applications more easily in areas where the concentration of licensed premises is exacerbating issues, labelling it as “scandalous”.
He also praised the 12 pubs on West Street for their good management and lack of issues. However, he warned that the growing number of off licences could potentially destabilise the city’s night-time economy.
“We’ve been banging away at this for 10 years,” said Mr Sephton. “You are bringing in 30,000 people to live in Sheffield city centre, at the same time allowing off licences to come.”
Committee member Coun Karen McGowan shared that she had served on the council for 14 years and had previously chaired the licensing sub-committee, yet she couldn’t recall the topic of a cumulative impact policy being brought up. Mr Sephton responded that it had never progressed beyond officer level.
Coun Johnson highlighted that City ward councillors receive numerous complaints about noise and public nuisance. He said: “If you venture into West Street in the evening you’ll witness it for yourselves but also early in the morning, when it can be quite an intimidating place.”
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He agreed with Mr Sephton’s concerns about the potential impact of having numerous establishments selling alcohol in such a confined area. Coun Johnson highlighted that West Street falls under a city centre public space protection order (PSPO) being implemented by the council.
“The PSPO recently adopted by the council is entirely premised on the fact that there is a lot of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour in the city centre.”
Both Mr Sephton and Coun Johnson expressed their worries about the designated premises supervisor (DPS), Stas Herish Ezzat, who at 18 years old, they believe lacks the necessary experience to manage a business in such a challenging area. However, committee chair Coun Abdul Khayum argued that this was unfair as Mr Ezzat is the legally appointed DPS.
Sheffield Council
(Image: LDRS)
Licensing agent Tony Clarke stated that the owner, Halshaw Fahil, owns two other shops and will be present part-time. He said: “The DPS is the DPS for another shop in the area. He has never experienced any problems with the police.
“They are well run and well managed shops. There have certainly been no issues with the applicants themselves.”
Mr Clarke assured that the police and all relevant authorities are satisfied with what his clients are proposing and that appropriate conditions are attached to the licence. He said: “In my opinion it’s hard to believe that a small shop like this would add to the noise in the vicinity.”
Coun Johnson expressed satisfaction after the hearing, saying: “I was pleased to speak up for residents and business in City ward who are affected by nuisance and anti-social behaviour. It will certainly help that the off-licence was stopped from opening before 8am.
“All the same, yet another off-licence on West Street shows even more clearly why the council needs to look at the impact of so many premises clustered close together.
“It also highlights the inconsistent approach of a council that has brought in a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to criminalise street drinkers without taking responsibility for controlling the proliferation of city centre off-licences.”
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In an objection letter written ahead of the meeting on behalf of Changing Sheff, Peter Sephton described the application as “irresponsible” and the lack of controls over the number of alcohol shops in Sheffield as “scandalous”. He wrote: “Sheffield is the only location in South Yorkshire that does not have a Cumulative Impact Policy to control excessive numbers of alcohol outlets in one area. This is scandalous.
“It is clear from the large number of alcohol outlets and the crime figures that West Street does not need another 24/7 off-licence, so the licensing committee should reject this application.
“It is irresponsible for the city council to be repopulating the city centre with tens of thousands of residents in new apartment buildings, while at the same time having no control whatsoever over the number of alcohol outlets in any given central area.”