Newsagent granted liquor license despite concerns

Wirral Council has granted a license for a new convenience store despite concerns raised over a past court case.

Hastyar Husseni applied for a license for a new convenience store at 351 Woodchurch Road in Prenton to be open and sell alcohol from 8am to midnight. The application was not opposed by authorities such as Merseyside Police, but a number of neighbors said anti-social behaviour, under-age drinking and drugs were a problem in the area.

The local authority eventually decided to grant the license at a licensing committee meeting on 17 May, but with two changes to the original application. One was to only allow deliveries between 9am and 9pm to limit disruption to neighbours, and the other was that no person is named on the license until one is subsequently approved by Wirral Council.

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This means the license will not be able to sell alcohol until then, although some neighbors had concerns as a ‘missing’ sign has already been put up above the shop. Despite not being approved as a licensee, representatives said Mr Husseni would still be one of three partners involved in running the business.

During the meeting, concerns were raised about a previous court case in which Mr Husseni pleaded guilty in 2019 to selling alcohol to a teenager at Wrexham Off Licence, formerly Euro Delicates, on two occasions. He was given a court bill of £356 and his license withdrawn, with the business later closed.

Mr Husseni was not at the May 17 licensing meeting as he was visiting family in Iraq, but was represented by the two business partners and an agent, Tony Clarke of JMC Licensing. Mr Clarke said Mr Husseni regretted what happened in Wrexham, had not been in trouble since and said he was not at the premises at the time of those incidents.

However, he admitted he did not know the details of the case until council officers pointed out it had been raised in objections. Mr Clarke said: “I remember he was remorseful but I didn’t put two and two together.”

At one point Cllr Andrew Hodson, when asked about Mr Husseni’s involvement in the business, if the license had been changed, said: “Try to manage this on the hoof”, to which Mr Clarke said: “We are trying to find an answer . to your question.”

Sue Aldridge, who lives nearby, raised concerns about the application, claiming she had seen people weighing drugs and that underage drinking was already happening in the alley near the shop. However, she said she is open to working on the off-license going forward.

She said: “We already have a problem with underage drinking in fields in the summer and on the playground,” adding: “It will increase because they will be drinking more alcohol. Sainsbury’s are closing their toilets early due to youth issues because they are messing up.”

Addressing concerns about anti-social behaviour, Mr Clarke said: “There are certain things my client can do to protect people and staff and the public in general”, adding: “There is no evidence that this can happen as long as the store manages appropriate behavior within the store.”

Spirits will be kept behind the counter with a Challenge 25 policy as well as refusal notices displayed inside the store. In his closing remarks, Mr Clarke said: “We have put forward a robust application based on the licensing objectives”, adding: “I feel we have done as much as we can.”

When reaching its decision, Wirral Council said it took into account that no comments had been made on the application from authorities such as Merseyside Police, Trading Standards and licensing officers.

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