CONCERNED residents are relieved that an application for a shop in Dallow Road to sell alcohol has been refused by Luton Borough Council.
They had collected 33 signatures on a petition against Mutamba M’Fumu and Mimita Mbuka Mutamba of Oscar off-licence being given permission to sell alcohol.
At a licensing panel meeting on Tuesday, December 20, the application was refused.
Mother Melanie Orchard, who lives next door to the shop and objected to the application, said: “Dallow Road has four licensed premises in a 100-yard radius which already leads to a lot of trouble with muggings and burglary and fights. So having another licensed premises will lead to more crime and disorder, public nuisance and a fear of drunken behaviour to be witnessed by kids going to Dallow Road Primary School.”
Among the written objections to the application was a letter from the Dallow Nursery School manager.
The nursery manager said: “We would like to object to this licence for the following reasons: We do not want to encourage more people to loiter around the school gates drinking alcohol. Increase in rubbish around the school gates – beer cans are already left in the flower beds.”
The licensing panel accepted that there were existing alcohol-related problems in the immediate area, particularly street drinking and anti-social behaviour and that granting the licence, even for limited hours, would in their view add to the public nuisance already occurring in the area.
The meeting was attended by local residents who voiced their concerns, and the police also objected to the grant of a licence.
Another resident, Gohar Rahman, said: “We got a lot of problems people buy the drink and stand on road corners and drink it. Women and children [are] scared to pass by them.”
The application for off-sales of alcohol from 7.30am - 2.30am Monday - Saturday and 8.30am - 7.30pm on Sundays was therefore refused.
>What do you think? Have your say, our contact details are on this page.