By Don Mort, local democracy reporting service
A disused convenience store can be re-opened after permission was granted for alcohol sales.
The shop at 352 Tong Road in Upper Wortley will open from 8am-11pm daily after a licence was granted by the council.
The original application for a premises licence sought 24-hour alcohol sales.
But the applicant, Gurvinder Sagoo, reached agreements with the police and Leeds City Council.
He told a licensing hearing he planned to re-open the vacant shop and run the premises with his son.
Mr Sagoo told councillors: “We saw an opportunity. There is no local shop there. We purchased it to regenerate it because it was a bit of an eyesore.”
Mr Sagoo said he planned to create flats above the shop to help meet demand for more housing in the area.
He said: “It breaks my heart when people don’t have a roof over their head.”
Conditions on the licence would include a challenge 25 policy, CCTV and staff training. Mr Sagoo said: “All that will be enforced.”
One letter of objection was received from a nearby householder who said there were already pubs and shops selling alcohol nearby.
Mr Sagoo said he agreed 24-7 alcohol sales would be excessive and measures would be in place to prevent public nuisance.
In a letter to the objector, he said: “When my son and I purchased this long-derelict property to regenerate it into a family-run business, our goal was to serve the community, not disrupt it.”
A licensing sub-committee voted to grant the licence with agreed conditions following the hearing at Leeds Civic Hall.
Plans to turn the building into a nursery were withdrawn last year.
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Where exactly are the customers going to park ? They’ll probably park either on the pavement or on the zig-zags near the pedestrian lights
I’m staggered it’s going to be a shop. It’s no coincidence the last shop failed partly because there is Aldi 100m away along with other local shops.
I hope this isn’t going to be another “vape shop” with a HMO on top and the owner is true to his word.
Hear, hear Richard ! Near the kiddies school too, it’ll be a nightmare and just so wrong.