The new store will be situated at Peabody Housing Association’s old offices near Harrow Green, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
A new Sainsbury’s Local is set to open in Leytonstone after being supported by Waltham Forest Council.
The licensing committee granted Sainsbury’s permission to sell alcohol between 7am and 11pm at its new High Road store, in line with its proposed opening hours.
The new store, situated at Peabody Housing Association’s old offices behind the Harrow Green bus stop, will create between 20 and 25 new jobs.
The application sought permission to sell drinks 24 hours a day, but a solicitor acting on behalf of the chain said this was to give the store “a bit of flexibility” at certain times of the year, such as Christmas and it would not be a 24-hour store.
Councillors approved the licence in full at a meeting held on Friday (12th June), but put a restriction on the sale of certain drinks.
The shop will not be allowed to sell beer, lager or cider with an alcohol content above 5.5%, except for “craft or premium lagers,” which tend to have higher ABVs.
Four residents had objected to the scheme, but none attended the meeting.
Their objections focused on the perceived risk of overprovision of alcohol in the street, which they feared leading to “more street drinking and antisocial behaviour in the area”.
The solicitor for Sainsbury’s told the committee that extra choice for shoppers did not necessarily mean more alcoholic drinks would be sold.
Though he was tight-lipped about security at the store, he said Sainsbury’s would carry out a risk assessment and employ staff as appropriate. He told the committee they would not tackle antisocial behaviour outside the store but would serve as a deterrent to potentially troublesome shoppers.
He also assuaged concerns about noisy deliveries, saying products would be wheeled to the rear of the store and handled away from the main road. He added that while a new supermarket would increase business on the street, it was already a busy area with several shops.
No ‘responsible authorities’ – such as the Metropolitan Police or the council’s internal licensing enforcement team – opposed the application.
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