Richmond Council's Licensing Sub-Committee has granted Sabra Convenience Store on Station Road, Hampton the right to sell alcohol, despite local objections and petition gaining 966 signatures against the application.

Applicant Komalkur Sabra applied to sell alcohol off the premises of Sabra Convenience from 7am-11pm, the same as the premises opening hours, which it has been granted.

Councillors granted the license on the conditions that: no more than 10% of the sales area should be used at any one time to sell alcohol; no sale of single cans, bottles of beer, lager or cider from the shop; installation of a bin placed outside the store and that Sabra Convenience comply with any reasonable closure request made by the police on a home football match day at Hampton and Richmond Borough Football Club.

The main concerns from local residents with the application arose in the summer of this year when the previous shop owner (Aman Singh Souni from Vape Tech Group Limited) made a planning application for the sale of alcohol, vapes and sweets while changing the frontage of the building without permission.

There was an adverse reaction and a number of objections to this application and the application was withdrawn in August without any hearing.

However, on the same day a new company was set up – Sabra Convenience Store and the shopfront reverted back to the previous shopfront and a new application was made.

In 2016, Mr Souni was found to have illegal tobacco at his business at the now closed Prestige Wines in West Kensington, raising further concerns for the possible connection to the new application from Mrs Sabra.

At the meeting Hampton resident, Martin Riddell, suspected that the application from Sabra Convenience Store could be a "trojan horse" for the previous application from Mr Suni for an alcohol selling vape shop, but the representative for Ms Sabra assured councillors that it was not.

Representative for the applicant, Nick Semper said: "This is not a vape shop. It's not even a vape shop that wants to sell alcohol.

"That is absolutely apparent from the application itself, i.e. it is a convenience store with and off-license." 

He added: "She (Komalkur Sabra) knows Aman Suni. That's how she found out that this shop became available because Aman Suni withdrew...The lease is being transferred from Vape Tech to Sabra Convenience Store."

The previous shopfront at 117 Station Road, Hampton from the previous shop owner (credit: Richmond Council).

Another main concern from residents with the licensing application from Sabra Convenience was the hours it wanted to sell alcohol from and how it could lead to an increase of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime in the area.

Still, Mr Semper argued that the Met Police had agreed with the applicant's conditions and that it considered Hampton 'a low level' ASB area.

During the meeting, this issue from residents was backed by Richmond Council Leader, Cllr Gareth Roberts who said: "The applicant should be proving themselves as being worthy of holding a license in this borough and also holding a license within what is a very small area of Hampton.

"Hampton is a very quiet part of the borough, probably one of the quietists...now if we are going to be having the sale of alcohol from seven a clock in the morning from this premises then there is the potential for there to be ASB.

"I would suggest quieter hours in the first instance and then in maybe a year or maybe two years time, if the applicant wishes to come back and expand their areas of their hours of business, then the licensing committee would be able to give consideration based on evidence which has been forthcoming.

"But going straight in with a 7am to 11pm license is not, I would suggest, serving the best interest of Hampton."

Although the council licensing team have no regulatory powers regarding the sale of vapes, therefore cannot be considered in the decision making process, Mr Riddell in his closing remarks believed that granting the application would go against the council's own goals of improving the health of residents in the borough.

To find out more about this application from the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on 11 November click here.

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