Off Licensed Stopped, residents abandoned by Labour

Anti-social behaviour around Shepherd's Bush Green isn't a new problem, and it isn't one that's going away on its own. Street drinking and the disorder that comes with it are things residents deal with every day, and it takes sustained pressure from residents, the police and campaigners to hold the line against decisions that would make it worse. The Retail 24 case is a good example of exactly that: we put in our own objection as residents, helped get others to do the same, and stood alongside the police and the residents' association. We won. The local Labour councillor didn't stay the course

How we won this one

Retail 24 on Uxbridge Road had its existing licence revoked back in December for repeated breaches of its conditions. In July, a fresh application came in from a prospective new owner. We objected as residents ourselves and encouraged others locally to do the same, adding to the 18 objections raised during consultation.

The case for refusal was strong. Met Police licensing officers warned the area already sees high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour and said granting the licence would not be a positive addition to the area. The Caxton Village Tenants and Residents Association, representing 57 local residents, set out substantial, cumulative problems with late-night activity, street congregation and disorder in the immediate area. One resident told the hearing about people gathering in their doorway night after night, being sworn at, and dealing with urination outside their home.

Cllr Mercy Umeh, the Shepherd's Bush Green ward Councillor and Chair of the council's own Licensing Sub-Committee, initially raised concerns too, about the noise, littering and disorder the requested hours could bring. But once the applicant offered to trim the opening hours, she withdrew her representation, and she didn't even attend the hearing to see it through. Someone else had to chair the meeting in her place.

None of us backed down. The council's own Licensing Team Manager stayed in the room and told members the applicant hadn't grasped how hard it is to run an off-licence responsibly in an area with consistently high ASB and alcohol-fuelled nuisance. The police maintained their objection even after the amended hours. The residents' association held firm too, and so did the individual objections we'd helped put in. The result: the application was refused in full.

That's the difference between actually fighting for an area and stepping back the moment it gets slightly more complicated. Residents, the police and campaigners like us were in that fight to the end. Our local Labour representative wasn't.

Now it's happening again: 114 Uxbridge Road

There's a new application in for an off-licence at 114 Uxbridge Road, on the corner of Caxton Road. Given everything the area already deals with, and everything that came out at the Retail 24 hearing about how bad it already is, another alcohol outlet in this location is the last thing residents need.

We're objecting to this one too, and asking residents to do the same before the consultation window closes. We'll be there for the whole process this time, just as we were last time, and we'll be watching to see who else shows up and stays the course.

If you want to have your say, use the link above to object. It only takes a couple of minutes, and every objection with a name and address attached is one more sign to the licensing committee that people here are paying attention.