An off-licence store at 67 Botley Road has been granted permission to sell alcohol despite over 100 complaints from local residents. The site of the shop was previously the Pickle and Lime, a traditional greengrocer which closed down due to ongoing road closures in the Botley area.
Pihu Enterprises Ltd., owned by Mansi and Tapan Chowdhry, applied for a license to sell alcohol in their shop from Monday to Sunday between 5am and 11pm. Their application described the premises as a “ground floor retail shop” which would sell general groceries, alcohol, tobacco, and vapes.
Over 100 locals lodged complaints to Oxford City Council in opposition to the shop’s application to sell alcohol. One individual on Hill View Road wrote that they were concerned about protecting children from harm given how close the premises is to West Oxford Community Primary School and the risk of children taking up vaping.
The “disruption of residents” due to the long opening hours of the off-licence was another concern raised by a resident on Alexandra Road, as was “public nuisance” regarding the sale of alcohol.
In response to these complaints, Mansi Chowdhry insisted on the reliability of their business in response to the backlash, saying that they “genuinely respect and value the views of the local community”.
The business owners focused on 80% of items on sale being groceries, bakery items and “day-to-day essentials” and further addressed the points of concern with their intentions and plans to combat potential issues regarding the sale of alcohol and vapes.
Conditions were also agreed to in the original paperwork, including the need to show identification if customers appear under the age of 30. The “training of staff” and being “careful of noise” were also detailed in the agreement.
The shop’s licence has since been approved, with the opening hour amended to 7am instead of the original 5am opening hour requested in the initial application.
