Compromise Made on Alcohol Sales Sainsbury's Local
Shepherd’s Bush Road store amends hours after neighbours object
Sainsbury's Local on Shepherd's Bush Road
December 20, 2024
Sainsbury’s Local has been granted permission to sell alcohol from its store on Shepherd’s Bush Road earlier in the morning. The premises had requested approval to begin selling from 7am seven days a week, four hours earlier than the current 11am start.
In the wake of 35 representations being submitted against the application, the supermarket chain however amended its proposal to delivery-only sales between 7am and 9am, with normal service resuming from that point. The licence would then run until its current end of 11pm.
This late change made a material difference to those speaking against the request, with a resident saying they could no longer object as a result of the amendment. The submission by Sainsbury’s had initially drawn a range of concerns from residents over the potential impact of increased alcohol sales in the area.
Two representations raised particular fears about the consequences for people with alcohol dependencies, with concerns about safeguarding for children walking to school appearing frequently in objection letters. One person wrote, “We have three children who walk to Hammersmith Tube station to get to school at 7.30am and as such this anti social [sic] behaviour has been contained by the fact that Sainsbury’s does not sell alcohol before midday.”
Local ward councillor Jacolyn Daly also opposed the submission, and was one of two objectors speaking at a Hammersmith and Fulham Council Licensing Sub-Committee meeting earlier this week. She told members, “Shepherd’s Bush Road is a main conduit running from Shepherd’s Bush to Hammersmith.
“It has two green spaces at either end, one Shepherd’s Bush Green and the other Brook Green, and both areas are used for alcohol consumption and drug taking. And we have seen in the last year, two years possibly, a marked increase in crime, criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, mostly driven by people taking drugs and consuming alcohol.”
James Johnstone, a local resident, meanwhile raised the wider issue of shops being granted permission to sell alcohol earlier and earlier along Shepherd’s Bush Road. However, he acknowledged the amendment constituted a ‘significant change’ to the proposal. He said: “Personally, and I speak only for myself, if it’s 7am to 9am and it’s by delivery only, then I can’t see an objection from my part.”
Robert Botkai, Senior Partner at Winckworth Sherwood representing Sainsbury’s, said the extended hours had been sought because under licensing laws a sale begins as soon as goods start being organised for a delivery. This meant that the store could not initiate working on deliveries until 11am, even if they were not scheduled until later that day.
The additional hours were intended to give the store more time to work on such orders, he said, with very few alcohol sales expected nor many deliveries anticipated between 7am and 9am. There appeared to be some confusion over the hours at which alcohol could be sold at nearby stores and how many already sell alcohol before 9am.
Mr Johnstone reiterated his primary concern is if the proposed Sainsbury’s licence enables alcohol to be sold earlier then other local stores will soon follow-suit. Cllr Daly also pointed out that while there is no police representation against the application the Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) had raised concerns at a ward panel meeting in October.
Mr Botkai responded saying the SNT had the opportunity to put in an objection, which they did not. This point was also made by the council’s licensing officer.
The Sub-Committee resolved to grant the licence as amended, meaning the Sainsbury’s store will only be able to sell via delivery between 7am and 9am. Members of the public will be able to purchase alcohol in-store from that point onwards.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “We’ve received approval to extend our licensing hours to bring them in line with other stores in the area.”
A separate Shepherd’s Bush Road premises, wine merchant L’ami Jac, was also granted a licence by councillors the following evening. The sale of alcohol was agreed both on and off the site between 11am and midnight, Monday to Sunday.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter