Agenda item

To consider a new Premises Licence application for Tesco Express, 48 – 52 Napier Road, Gillingham, Kent. ME7 4HD following the submission of representations, received during the consultation period.

Discussion:

The Licensing Officer informed the Panel that the applicant had submitted a new Premises Licence application at Tesco Express, 48-52 Napier Road, Gillingham, Kent ME7 4HD.

The Panel were informed that an application for a new Premises Licence had been received on 10 December 2024. The application was for the sale of alcohol by retail between 06:00 and midnight daily and for late night refreshments from 23:00 to midnight daily.

The Licensing Officer confirmed that the Responsible Authorities had been contacted and the public notices had been advertised in accordance with the regulations.

The Panel were informed that Licensing Services had received three representations to the application in relation to all four of the licensing objectives from local residents. The Objectors did not attend the hearing.

The Chairperson invited the applicant to speak in support of their application.

The applicant explained that they proposed to open the convenience store in October 2025 and an experienced Operations Manager would oversee the store. The Panel were informed that the Operations Manager oversaw 31 stores in total and had worked well in Medway without any issues. The proposed store would provide 20 jobs and there would be an opportunity for local people to apply for these positions.

The applicant referred to the importance of being a good neighbour and having a point of contact for local residents so that if any issues did arise, they could be resolved as soon as possible.

The Panel were informed of the industry standards that Tesco stores adhered to and that all staff were trained in security, age restricted sales, how to spot intoxicated customers and conflict resolution.

With regards to the representations received the applicant said that it was a shame that the residents were not in attendance as the applicant would welcome an opportunity to speak with them to discuss any issues they had. The Licensing Officer agreed to pass the contact details for the applicant and Operations Director on to the residents that had submitted representations. The Panel also suggested that the contact details should be shared with the relevant councillors for the ward.

With regards to the issue of noise, the applicant informed the Panel that the plant would be behind a fence so noise was contained, and the bin would also be stored within the fenced off area and not near the residents back gate. The applicant explained that the bin would only hold waste from the litter bins in front of the store as all other waste was sent back on delivery vehicles for recycling. The Panel were informed that any noise from deliveries would be minimal as they would be unloading at the back door across freshly laid tarmac and engines would not be idling whilst delivering and would be turned off.

With regards to parking the Panel were informed that there would be 12 allocated spaces for store customers. The applicant explained that there would be litter bins outside of the premises which will be regularly checked, cleaned and emptied.

The Panel queried the hours for the sale of alcohol by retail and were informed that this provided the convenience element and matched the trading hours for the store.

The Panel queried whether the ATM could be located inside the store but were informed that it was proposed to be located outside the store on the furthest corner from the residents, but it would be possible to reduce the volume of the noise produced by the ATM if required.

With regards to the offer to the local community, the Panel were informed that Tesco have a Stronger Starts campaign that fund local organisations and that they welcomed opportunities to support the local community.

The Panel queried how the applicant planned to allay the local resident’s fears and were informed that the applicant would speak to them prior to the store opening to talk though any issues. The applicant explained they aim to assure residents that they intend to address any issues immediately should they arise and would like to have open communication with local residents.

In summing up the applicant said that they hoped they have demonstrated they were an excellent operator with a good track record of partnership working.

With the exception of the Legal Representative and the Democratic Services Officer, all present left the room during the Panel’s deliberations, returning to hear the Panel’s decision.

Decision:

The Committee listened carefully to the written and oral submissions from all parties and decided to grant the licence with reduced hours for the sale of alcohol by retail between 07:00 to 23:00 daily to run concurrent with the opening hours.