A coffee shop in the heart of Richmond has applied to sell alcohol as part of its drinks offering.

Jamaica Blue on 47-48 The Quadrant is seeking a new premises licence to allow the café to sell alcohol due to "customer demand".

In its application, the business said: "These are prominent premises located in the town centre in Richmond and are particularly used by visitors to the area and local workers from the locality.

"The business has been operating in The Quadrant for nearly two years. Due to customer demand, the premises wish to offer a small range of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises to complement the range of premium products available."

Jamaica Blue proposes to sell alcohol on site from Monday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm, and open on the same days from 7am to 7:30pm.

However, resident association The Richmond Society opposes the plans, explaining that the application has "no regard" for the requirements of the Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP).

In a letter, the group's Licensing Lead, Virginia Curry, said: "This is a poorly presented application which appears to support at length the possible increase in profits that could be made by the proprietors of Jamaica Blue whilst paying no attention to the impact on the inhabitants of Richmond, the CIP or the CIZ [Cumulative Impact Zone]."

A Cumulative Impact Zone is an area where Richmond Council has identified that a high concentration of licensed venues is contributing to crime, disorder or public nuisance.

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Previously, the coffee shop applied for a Pavement Licence in June 2023, to which FoRG (Friends of Richmond Green) objected, and it was ultimately refused on grounds of public safety.

Jamaica Blue's plans are due to be decided at this week's Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on Tuesday, 9 June.

To read the full report on the application click here.