Bournville Residents Win Against Tesco

Wed, 28 Mar 2007
 
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Tesco, the UK supermarket giant, has had to concede defeat to the residents of Bournville, Birmingham, after its application to sell alcohol in the village was rejected.

A new Tesco Express convenience store was the proposed site from where the alcohol would be sold, on the edge of the famous Bournville Village Estate.

The leafy suburb has been alcohol-free since it was founded by Quaker George Cadbury over 100 years ago, in 1895, and yesterday a city council licensing sub-committee upheld its historic "dry" status by refusing the application for the Linden Road store, with over 1000 people signing a petition.

Sub-committee chairman, Councillor Penny Wagg said the application had been turned down because of a need to prevent public nuisance and crime and disorder.

"The committee was concerned about issues relating to anti-social behaviour, underage drinking and litter which were raised by interested parties," she added.

Local councillor Nigel Dawkins, who led the campaign against Tesco, described the ruling as a fantastic victory for community action .

Mr Dawkins said the proposed Tesco Express store on the Linden Road site was in the middle of three hotspots for anti-social behaviour in Bournville, where young people drink alcohol after purchasing it from outside the village and bringing it back to parks in the area.

Mr Dawkins said Bournville's reputation as a "dry" community was world famous.

"This will be a hard lesson for Tesco to learn. They can't just steamroller into a community and expect to get their way irrespective of local opinion," he added.

A spokesman for Tesco ruled out an appeal against the committee's decision, but said the chain might re-apply in future.

He said, "We respect the decision that the licensing authority has made and will now move forward and open a great store for the community in Bournville."

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