Angell residents urge council to ban alcohol sales

More than 60 residents of Brixton’s Angell Town estate have opposed plans to open a convenience store there to sell alcohol from 7am to 10pm.

The planned site for the store is in Fairfax House, below residential flats on Overton Road and meters from a heavily used cage football pitch.

Lambeth council’s licensing sub-committee will consider an application for a license to sell alcohol from the shop at a meeting in Brixton town hall on Tuesday (July 23) evening.

Local residents have also criticized the lack of community consultation on the application.

The app is from Jeyendran Alakendran, who has been running a convenience store in Peckham for more than two years. He set up a new company, Overton Foodcity Ltd, in April this year, giving the Fairfax House address as its registered office.

The Fairfax House facility is currently not in use. The owner is Lambeth council. The store would be branded as Londis.

A plan of the proposed store layout submitted as part of the license application shows beer and wine displays taking up the whole of one of the three lanes in the store, with spirits on separate display behind a counter.

Angell Town has been the scene of serious violent crime over the years and many local residents have been active in community efforts to reduce the incidence of knife and gun crime.

They won a promise from Lambeth council last January to build a much-needed community center on the property.

Angell Town Resident Management Organization (RMO), which manages 444 properties on the estate on behalf of Lambeth council, has raised concerns about the license application to the council, saying the estate is already associated with anti-social behaviour, shootings and other crimes, including violence.

The RMO said it had asked the Metropolitan Police to support it and community groups who had raised similar concerns.

Another objection to the license application came from the manager of a youth charity based in Angell Town.

They said there are several youth clubs and centers near the store, elementary schools and family resource centers that cater for children from very young to teenagers and beyond.

The building next to Unit C, which houses the store, shares an exit door with a center that hosts after-school programs, mid-term activities and family gatherings, manger said.

“Granting a license to sell alcohol in these conditions and environment is totally inappropriate and could lead to safeguarding issues and wider health and safety concerns,” they added.

One resident told the council: “Over many years the estate has suffered from being known for drug abuse, shootings and stabbings as well as … violence resulting from drunkenness and drug abuse.”

Establishing an off-property license would cause “more havoc and disturbance” there.

There were off license facilities in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and shops in Brixton town center and along Brixton Road just minutes from the property.

“There is no need, therefore, to plant one in our estate,” said the resident. “It would and will lead to more chaos and mayhem for our residents struggling with anti-social behaviour.”

Another opponent pointed out that shoplifting is a well-known problem in Brixton, with smaller retailers often seen as softer targets.

“Those who commit the crimes do not care who may stand in their way and think nothing of pushing the elderly out of the way, sometimes holding a gun as a threat,” the opponent said.

“Given the recent deaths from knife crime on the estate, I feel that allowing a shopkeeper to sell a popular item for theft would make the shop a target and draw unwanted attention to the property.”

They said patrons attending Brixton Jamm in warmer weather often congregate in Max Roach Park for a drink before entering the venue.

“Not all Jamm events are late. When events end early, some customers will continue to drink close to where they can buy alcohol,” the opponent said.

“With the recent closure of a convenience store opposite Jamm on the corner of Robsart Street, the retail outlet on Overton Road would be one of the closest places to buy alcohol.

“As there is a nice open green opposite the facility next to the football pitch, it will be an ideal place to sit and drink. Those who do this now on Max Roach also leave a lot of trash in their wake, such as discarded beer bottles.

“In addition to the Jamm customers, there is also a group of older men who gather and sit on the opposite wall drinking. An on-property licensed venue has the strong potential to relocate this anti-social behavior to high-street property.”

A tenant on the Angell Town estate said: “Our estate has suffered for many years from anti-social behavior and alcohol and drug abuse activities. The tuning. a license to sell alcohol (would be) so counterproductive, a regression of immense proportion that should not be allowed or tolerated.”

Another resident said, “I have lived in Angell Town for many years and in that time I have witnessed the remarkable community we have built a community dedicated to the well-being of our children, families and myself as an elder.

“It fills me with pride to see the champions and groups working tirelessly to create a safe and nurturing environment for all of us in Angell Town. I feel safer because of the above.

“However, I am deeply concerned about the proposal to open a shop selling alcohol in our community.

“Having observed the challenges faced by high street shops selling alcohol, I have seen first-hand the incidents of anti-social behavior and the struggles of people with alcohol addiction. These incidents often occur in broad daylight, posing significant risks to public safety.

“I strongly believe that the introduction of a liquor store in Angell Town would jeopardize the safety and cohesion of our community, particularly given its proximity to residential areas.

“Such a shop would not only attract people with drinking problems, it would also encourage anti-social behaviour, creating an unsafe environment for all residents.

“Furthermore, the presence of alcohol-related activities would undoubtedly have a negative impact on our children, who would be exposed to these behaviors.”

The licensing sub-committee meeting is due to take place in the Assembly Room at Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton, starting at 7pm. The Angell Town app is not the only item on the agenda.

A separate planning application has also been made for changes to the structure of the store.