New Stratford Shop’s Midnight Alcohol Plan Goes to a Licensing Hearing

A new mini market on Stratford-upon-Avon’s Greenhill Street wants to sell alcohol until midnight every day, and the Town Council says 10pm would be more appropriate. The district council’s Licensing Panel will decide on Thursday 12 November, after the Town Council lodged the only objection to the application from Avon International Mini Market, at the former Paperway stationery shop at 25-26 Greenhill Street.

What the shop wants

The application asks to sell alcohol to take away from 8am to midnight, seven days a week, the same hours the shop would open. It describes a medium-sized convenience store selling groceries and household goods. The floor plan also shows a butchery counter, with spirits and vapes by the till. Signs reading Avon Market went up last month at the building, which the Stratford Herald says had been empty for more than a decade.

Why the Town Council objects

Councillors on the Town Council’s planning committee agreed unanimously on 20 October to lodge what they called a “holding objection”: they would support the licence if alcohol sales stopped at 10pm. They hoped that would “ensure consistency with the licensing arrangements applicable to other retail premises within the town”. On 26 October the council said it had no further evidence to submit, and repeated its concerns about “the potential for antisocial behaviour and the impact on nearby residents”. The papers don’t list other shops’ licensed hours, so we haven’t been able to test that comparison.

What the police agreed

Warwickshire Police didn’t formally object, but raised concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area. The applicant then agreed four conditions, which will go on the licence if it’s granted:

• No single cans of lager, cider or beer.
• No miniature bottles of spirits under 50ml.
• No open alcohol containers brought into the shop, with customers told about the town’s Public Spaces Protection Order. The order lets police stop people drinking where anti-social behaviour is happening or likely; it isn’t a drinking ban.
• At least two notices warning that street drinkers won’t be served.

The application also offers CCTV that keeps 31 days of footage, a Challenge 25 policy, and signs asking customers to leave quietly, especially between 9pm and midnight.

What the panel can decide

Officers haven’t made a recommendation. The panel can grant the licence with these conditions, change them, or refuse it. Because the only objection is about public nuisance, that’s the only licensing objective it can weigh. The council’s licensing policy says shops “will generally be free” to sell alcohol whenever they’re open unless there are good reasons based on the licensing objectives, but that an earlier finish “may be appropriate in residential areas” where objections are made. The application describes this part of Greenhill Street as a mix of shops and homes.

What happens next

The hearing is at 10am on Thursday 12 November in the Council Chamber at Elizabeth House, Church Street, and is also shown live on the council’s YouTube channel. The deadline for objections passed on 22 October. Everyone involved will be told the decision in writing within five working days, and can appeal to the magistrates’ court within 21 days. We’ll report the outcome.

Alex Harrington

Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.