Longford fish & chips shop planning to sell alcohol...

[dutchman]

A takeaway boss wants his chippy to become the first in Coventry to sell beer with fish and chips.



Nirveer Bansal, owner of Longford Fish & Chips, in Coventry, has cooked up a plan to give his customers the rare option of buying cans of lager or bitter with their chips from morning til night seven days a week.

The 24-year-old claims his plan would be a first for his home city – and hopes that will give the opposition a good battering.

He said: “I just came up with the idea one day. I thought I’d give it a go and apply to the council.

“There would be nowhere like it in Coventry and I can’t think of many other chip shops in the country that sell alcohol.

“I’m trying to make things easy for customers by selling alcohol and chips under the same roof.

“It would be my way of raising the bar among chip shops in Coventry.

“If I don’t get the licence, I’ll find another way of making the shop unique.”

If his application for an alcohol licence to serve drinks from Monday to Sunday from 11.30am until 11pm gets the go-ahead from the council, the Bedworth Road chip shop would become the only chippy in Coventry with an alcohol licence, and one of only a few across the country.

Consumption of alcohol would not be allowed on the premises.

But locals are concerned his ambitious scheme would give underaged youths easy access to alcohol.

A petition signed by 27 residents against the plan has been submitted to the council.

Letters have also been sent citing anti-social behaviour and the number of outlets already selling alcohol in the area as reasons why councillors should reject it when they meet to discuss the plan next week.

One resident wrote: “I cannot understand why they need to sell alcohol as they are not a restaurant but a takeaway and I always thought that the idea was to take food away.”

Coventry Police have also put forward a range of conditions, including no sale of alcohol until accompanied with a minimum £3 food purchase, the installation of CCTV and no less than two members of staff present.

Nirveer, who graduated with a degree in accountancy from Leicester’s De Montfort University last year, says his flash of inspiration came from visits to a thriving chip shop as a student which sold alcoholic drinks.

But he says it would never be his intention to turn the chippy into a full bar and was genuinely surprised by the level of objections.

Nirveer, said: “I didn’t know about the petition until someone told me a few weeks ago.

“I don’t want a fight with residents about it. I can understand where they’re coming from.

“The shop has been here for four years and we value our neighbours.

“If anyone has concerns, they are welcome to talk to me.”

Councillors will vote on whether to approve the application at a meeting of the council’s licensing and regulatory committee on Tuesday.

[rebbonk]

Knowing the area, I believe this would be an open invitation to more anti-social behaviour. Doesn't get my vote.

[dutchman]

Coventry chip shop wins licence to be first in city to sell alcohol

A COVENTRY chip shop has won its bid to become the first chippy in the city to sell alcohol.

Longford Fish and Chips in Bedworth Road, Longford, was awarded an alcohol licence in an unprecedented move by the city council yesterday.

Nirveer Bansal applied seeking permission to sell alcohol from 11.30am until 11pm seven days a week.

After a lengthy deliberation of more than an hour, councillors gave it the go-ahead on the condition alcohol sales will end by 10pm and be accompanied with a £3 minimum food purchase.

Pupils in the area, who frequent the chippy during school lunch breaks, will now be reminded they are not allowed to buy alcohol from the shop.

Stuart Gibson, representing Mr Bansal, described the plan as an “ingenious” idea.

He said: “He’s trying to make the best of the business in difficult trading conditions by increasing the potential sales of existing customers.”

The decision came despite residents’ complaints of too many licensed outlets in the area and problems of drink-fuelled anti-social behaviour and litter.

A petition signed by 27 people against the plan had been submitted.

A further 31 signatures was presented by objectors at yesterday’s hearing, but the additional numbers were rejected by Mr Gibson on grounds the wording of the petition differed to the original.

Councillor Faye Abbott, chair of the meeting, said: “This has been a really difficult decision for members of the committee.

“It has been one of the most challenging applications I have ever dealt with in my time on licensing.

“We have a huge amount of sympathy to local residents. Please don’t think we don’t believe your concerns are genuine.”

Speaking of his delight, Mr Bansal said after the hearing: “I won’t let the residents down. I promise everything will be under control.”

Coun Abbott also asked Coun Linda Bingham, who attended as petition spokesman, to relay the message to Foxford School in her position as governor that pupils should be reminded not to buy alcohol from the premises.

Longford CAN residents’ action group chairman Lonny Downes was angered when he heard councillors’ hands were tied due to lack of evidence of anti-social behaviour because police failed to submitted an objection.

He said after the meeting: “The police have sold us out in so much as they never objected to the application despite residents raising issues about anti-social behaviour with officers during Longford CAN meetings.

“They’ve opened the floodgates. Everyone with a chippy in Coventry will apply for a licence now.”

Other conditions awarded with the licence include the installation of three CCTV cameras outside the shop, all sales assistants undergoing an alcohol awareness course, the appointment of another personal licence holder, no sale of alcohol above 5.6 per cent proof and all alcohol to be marked to identify it as belonging to the shop.

Every chippy, kebab house and pizza parlour in the city will now also demand an alcohol licence!

[dutchman]

Longford chippy owner in dramatic u-turn on serving alcohol



A CHIP shop boss who won a licence to sell booze changed his mind after public protests.

Nirveer Bansal, owner of Longford Fish and Chips, has given in to public pressure and performed a U-turn on his plan to sell beers and lagers to customers along with fish and chips.

He now says the goodwill of the community is more important than selling alcohol.

He made the shock announcement at a meeting of the Longford CAN residents group.

The 24-year-old university graduate also confessed he would have no control over underaged youngsters getting hold of alcohol bought at the Bedworth Road shop.

His announcement came the day after Coventry City Council awarded the chip shop a licence in an unprecedented move which made the Bedworth Road chippy the first in Coventry with permission to sell alcohol.

Mr Bansal told the Telegraph: “I won’t be selling alcohol from the shop. I sat down with my dad after the council meeting and we decided it would be a bad idea.”

Mr Bansal had applied to the council for permission to sell alcohol from 11.30am until 11pm seven days a week.

Councillors gave it the go-ahead with a range of conditions, including that alcohol sales will end by 10pm and be accompanied with a £3 minimum food purchase.

Lonnie Downes, chairman of Longford CAN, said the community is relieved by the young entrepreneur’s decision.

He said: “I went to the chip shop the day after the council meeting to invite him along to the Longford CAN forum later that day.

“He told me then that he was never going to sell alcohol. I said ‘that’s great but it’s no use just telling me’.

“So he came along and I spoke on his behalf, saying he has promised never to sell alcohol from the shop because the community was more important than selling alcohol and can see the dangers of children getting alcohol.

“He stood up to confirm what I said was right and everyone clapped.

“We understand he’s young and was trying to be ambitious.”

Residents still fear the city council has opened the floodgates for other chip shop owners city-wide to apply for alcohol licences.

They were also disappointed to learn the council’s hands were tied because police had lodged no objection to the plan, despite residents having raised concerns with officers about antisocial behaviour.

The group has written a letter of complaint to West Midlands Police over the issue.