Off-licence openings in Coventry rocket by over a quarter

Government stats show licenced premises are opening at a rate of two per day in Coventry



There are more than 800 places to buy booze in Coventry, and the number of licensed premises opening is soaring.

The latest figures from Public Health England show the number of licensed premises across Coventry has risen by 27.4 per cent, from 643 in 2015/16 to 819 in 2016/17.

As well as an increasing number of places licensed to sell alcohol, Coventry also has a far higher density of these places than the average in England, with a rate of 8.3 per square km, 5.9 times higher than the England rate of 1.4 premises per sq km.

A sq km is around a ten minute walk in each direction.

In Nuneaton and Bedworth, there was a rate of 3.7 premises per sq km, while it was two per sq km in Warwick.

Academic research has found that having more places selling alcohol in an area corresponds with higher levels of drinking, more alcohol-related violence and more drink-driving.

Chair of Coventry City Council's licensing committee, Cllr Patricia Hetherton, told CoventryLive the council is very constricted in licensing decisions, as a density of premises is not grounds to refuse an application. "We are in a position on the licensing committee where we cannot refuse a license because of an accumulation of premises - if we go ahead and refuse and that is overturned at magistrates it looks ridiculous for us.

"I sit on the health scrutiny board and see both sides, at times you can despair because we are constricted by what we can do.

"If the licensee has everything in place we would expect, it is very hard for us to refuse an application.

"Some of these places around student areas are selling vodka at 4am. At the time that 24 hour drinking was introduced it was intended to stop the concentration of problems at one time, but it doesn't work in the UK as well as it does in the continent, we have more of a binge-drinking culture here."

Its obvious what is happening. Closed pubs all over the city and those that are still open charge stupid prices. Eventually those will go as well. I don't brew now but If I still brewed beer I reckon that I could do an excellent brew for about 35p a pint.

What better way of distroying communities to succeed in the new world order they can not listen to every conversation in a pub like they can on your pc or phone or certain appliences in your home.

Spot on Melisandre.

By encouraging the destruction of places where people can meet and discuss things, the cause is being furthered.