Alcohol sales expansion plan refused for Port Paper Shop
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A Port Elphinstone shop has been told it cannot expand its alcohol sales over fears it could put school children at risk of harm.
The owners of the Port Paper Shop applied to Aberdeenshire Council in a bid to increase its booze display.
They proposed to expand its display by nearly three and a half times – a move that would have seen alcohol take up almost half of the shop floor.
Co-owner Rajwant Kour said the shop was trying to increase some of its brands to meet customer demand.
But as the small shop is located on the way to Port Elphinstone School and Inverurie Academy, there was concern the change would not be “suitable”.
At meeting of the licensing board, standards officer Lisa Godini didn’t object to the increased capacity, but brought the proposal in front of the Aberdeenshire Licensing Board given the “significant” change to the shop.
She raised concerns that the proposed amount of alcohol on display would change the purpose of the convenience store.
Ms Godini also noted that due to its location, it regularly receives visits from school children and wanted to highlight the matter to members.
However to address her worries, she suggested extra steps be taken to ensure the change was acceptable.
This included carrying out staff training and ensuring CCTV was installed and could be operated by employees.
But board members were worried about the proposal.
Councillor Richard Menard raised the “very significant increase” in alcohol that would be on sale in the shop.
He added: “I have concerns about the suitability of the premises to take onboard the extra alcohol space.
“It’s either going to be an off-licence or a general store, the way it’s looking to me, it’s more like an off-licence.”
While councillor Trevor Mason noted the business was trying to adapt to meet demand, he believed too much of the floor space would be taken up by booze.
Board chairwoman Marion Ewenson went on to suggest the licence be refused.
She believed the proposal went against the board’s own licensing objectives to protect children and young people from harm.
She even argued that refusing the change could prevent public nuisance in the area.
Ms Ewenson said: “This shop is where kids cross to get to the primary school.
“It could almost be seen as a sweetie shop or a regular stop for young families.
“With almost 50 per cent of the floor space being taken up by alcohol, I’m not too sure if that’s then a shop suitable for children to be going into to get crisps on the way to school.”
Board members unanimously agreed to reject the application.
But, the decision does not affect the shop’s existing alcohol licence.
