Shop owner says ‘let’s sell alcohol on Gyllyngvase beach and we’ll control bad behaviour’

The owners of a popular restaurant on one of Cornwall’s nine Blue Flag beaches have said being allowed to sell alcohol from a beach kiosk will allow them to control anti-social behavior such as throwing bottles and cans . Cyderhouse Co Ltd – an offshoot of Healey’s cider business – has applied for a premises license for Gylly Beach Shop and Takeaway on Cliff Road, Falmouth, at the entrance to Gyllyngvase beach.

The company took over that business and the neighboring Gylly Beach Café in August last year. A meeting of Cornwall Council’s licensing committee heard today (Wednesday 5 June) that Cyderhouse wants to sell pints of Korev ale and Rattler cider alongside ice creams, cakes, coffee and buckets and spades from the beach shop until 10.30pm each night on agreed terms. by Devon and Cornwall Police.

The council received representations from 15 Falmouth residents who were concerned that the sale of alcohol would exacerbate existing problems of anti-social behavior on the beach – which attracts large groups of young people during the summer – including glass and cans left on the sand, as well as unregulated . barbecues and bonfires.

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One of the letters opposing the plan said: “The beach and associated area has been the subject of considerable anti-social behavior in recent years with alcohol as the main driver. The police cannot cope with the current situations in such a way as to increase the supply of alcohol. behavior can be considered reckless’.

However, representatives from Healeys and Cyderhouse claimed that by ensuring pints were only drunk on 12 benches they own, rather than on the beach itself, they would be able to control any unruly behavior aided by additional CCTV cameras .

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Laura Clerehugh, head of hospitality for Cyderhouse Company Ltd, said that by offering the sale of alcohol, it would give the company a “slightly more holistic offering, meaning you’ve got ice cream for the kids, coffee for mum, light lunch for everyone and potentially. on a nice, sunny evening, you can sit and have a pint in the sun.”

Residents in that part of Falmouth have previously raised concerns about a neighboring Co-op store selling alcohol seven days a week between 6am and 11pm, which is often consumed on the beach, leading to antisocial.

Joe Healey, of Cyderhouse, told the licensing committee: “The Co-op is about 20 meters from the building (on the takeaway beach) – since its introduction it’s been buying a lot of glass and a lot of cans and a lot of alcohol . from the Co-op and be taken straight to the beach. That causes litter on the beach and is completely unregulated.

“Our whole principle for this is if we can increase our presence on the beach for longer in that area, we can remove a lot of glass, cans and trash.”

Council solicitor Mark Andrews pointed out that people may have bought alcohol and food from other supermarkets in the area. “I wouldn’t want the Co-op to watch this and feel they are being blamed for all the problems in Falmouth.”

Mr Healey said the beach store would introduce a deposit scheme for reusable polycarbonate cups. “We think it will be a game changer in terms of littering. Obviously, people won’t be allowed to take it on the beach, we’ll insist they drink it at meals. We believe that with additional CCTV, when anti-social behavior occurs it won’t be long before people realize that these things are being recorded and can be shared with the police. We hope that over time it will help to reduce the current anti-social behavior on the beach and not increase it.

He said it would operate in a similar way to the Watering Hole on Perranporth Beach, where drinkers are only allowed to consume alcohol on the benches just outside the premises, but not on the beach. Anyone wandering onto Gylly Beach with a pint of pint would be kicked out by the staff and never served again.

Cllr Rob Nolan said the ice cream would be sold alongside the beer so “I’m interested in your thoughts on kids messing around with people buying alcohol”.

Mrs Clerehugh replied: “I would say it is no different to any other family pub, not that I would in any way describe what we have on the beach as a family pub. It’s like our cider farm, which is very well run and we don’t. I have no problem with him.”

She added that the success of their two businesses is based on the beach’s good reputation and attracting the right people. “We don’t see those large groups of young people in our cafe. We will work with Falmouth Town Council for the good of all as guardians of the beach.”

Ms Clerehugh stressed that the business would “hope to deter – I’d like to say reduce – that behavior that we know so many people are concerned about”.

The meeting heard that on June 10, external CCTV cameras are being installed outside the business, which already has internal cameras.

Cllr Nolan added that the business is in the cumulative impact zone, which was set up to reduce the likelihood of bad behavior around licensed premises, “so we don’t need to grant a license if we think it will add to the amount of alcohol on sale in the area, I think what you’re telling us is that the horse has already been put on it once we gave the license to the Cooperative”.

Mrs. Clerehugh replied, “What we’d like to do is put some reins on the screwed horse.”

The issue of the availability of public toilets was raised, with the complainants saying it would not be a problem as the toilets on the beach would be open to those buying pints from the shop, as well as the customer toilets at the nearby Gylly Beach Café.

The committee agreed to grant the license. Members felt that it would not have a negative impact on the prevention of public nuisance or crime and disorder and believed that additional CCTV would help deter bad behaviour, such as littering on the beach. Councilors noted that many of the problems on the beach were caused by “outside sales” of alcohol, which the store did not offer.