A Wembley cash and carry found selling alcohol to an underage customer and where ‘men gather outside to drink whilst taking laughing gas and khat’ wants to be able to sell more high strength alcohol. The business claims not being able to do so means it is losing its customers but the police feel further restrictions should be put on their licence.
Malar Cash and Carry on Wembley High Road has made an application to Brent Council which seeks to change its existing premises licence to enable it to sell more beers above the 6 per cent limit, plus allow it to stock single cans. However, both the police and the council’s licensing team have raised concerns about the plan.
Malar, which specialises in providing Sri Lankan food and household items, wants to add Dragan Stout, Lion Stout, and Guinness to its product range. The owner claims alcohol is a small part of what they sell but says not offering these beers means it is losing customers.
They said: “We used to sell craft beers like Lion Stout for a very long time as these are purchased by our regular Asian customers. However, in recent years, manufacturers of these beers have increased the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) of these brands without any alternatives.
“Due to [a condition] on our premises licence, we are now unable to sell these products. As a result, we [have] now started losing our regular customers and are unable to carry out the business which we were doing for the past number of years without any issues.”
However, the police are strongly opposing the plan and have said that ‘if anything [the force] feels that the licence should have more stringent conditions’ – including reducing the hours the cash and carry is allowed to sell alcohol and setting the minimum number of cans or bottles sold to be no less than four, in order to deter customers from drinking it in the street.
Malar sits within a Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) – designed to limit the number of premises selling alcohol in a particular area – meaning the presumption is that the variation of the licence will be refused. The entire borough of Brent is also subject to a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which is legislation designed to combat rising levels of street crime and antisocial behaviour – much of which is alcohol-fuelled.
The police claim the venue ‘already has an issue with street drinking’ and suggest it shows ‘no regard for the CIZ or the PSPO’. PC Brendon McInnes said a ledge available on a neighbouring premise acts ‘as if it were in a bar’ for customers to put their drinks on, making it ‘an ideal place to meet up and drink’.
PC McInnes added: “[On April 17], I approached the manager of Marla Cash and Carry and pointed [this out] to him and reminded him of his obligations under the PSPO to reduce street drinking. His response to me was that they feel intimidated by customers should they be confronted regarding the street drinking.”
Between July 2019 and June 2022, there were 204 calls made to the police regarding incidents on Wembley High Road, according to police figures. Of those, 118 related to antisocial behaviour, 39 for public order offences, 18 related for robbery, and 104 categorised as violent or sexual offences. The police feel that removing the conditions will exacerbate the problems in an area that is ‘already flooded with street drinking’.
In October 2024, police responded to a report of antisocial behaviour and common assault outside the shop. The victim told police that there is continuing antisocial behaviour taking place where males are ‘consuming NOS canisters, Khat tobacco, alcohol and becoming aggressive’. The police claim this is one of many incidents that have taken place in the area.
A member of staff was also issued with a £90 fine in October 2022, after it failed a test purchase operation carried out by the police and sold alcohol to a person under 18. The licensing authority had also carried out an inspection the previous month and noted ‘a number of compliance issues’.
Unlike the police, the council’s licensing representative hasn’t objected to the sale of more higher strength alcohol, but they are against the sale of single cans as it could ‘facilitate further street drinking and contribute to crime and disorder’. They added: “Beyond commercial considerations, the applicant has not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the removal of this condition will not add to the cumulative impact in the local area.”
The application will be reviewed by Brent Council’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee next week (May 12).
Grant Williams is a journalist and Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Reach PLC, reporting on local government, politics and community issues across London. As part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he has contributed to Harrow Online, covering council decisions, housing developments, transport, planning matters and stories affecting local communities across Harrow and Brent.
