A fight involving drunk customers outside a Putney corner shop has emerged as the reason behind the store’s decision to voluntarily cut its alcohol sales hours from 2am to midnight – as the business became the first to test Wandsworth Council’s controversial new late-night licensing restrictions.
Best One at 169 Putney High Street near the train station faced opposition from council officers this week when it applied to restore its previous 2am weekend hours and extend them across the entire week. The application became the first to be judged under the borough’s new Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP), which creates a presumption against late-night operations after 11pm.
The 2022 incident revealed
During Thursday evening’s licensing hearing, shop director Rohith Amipara revealed details of the incident that led to the hour reduction three years ago.
“There was a fight broke out between customers and that’s where police came to us and asked for the evidences and all the records,” Amipara told the licensing subcommittee. “There were some drunk customers and there was argument between them and there was a fight outside the shop.”
Amipara explained that staff followed proper procedures:
“We pressed the alarms, we called the police and before we called, luckily there was a police car patrolling along the street so they were able to mitigate the situation immediately.”
The fight occurred around midnight on what Amipara believed was “most likely Friday,” and led to discussions with police that resulted in the voluntary reduction of weekend hours.
“We were in discussion with the police officer and they suggested we should reduce our hours and being cooperative operator, off-licence operator, we said, okay, it’s not going to make any difference to us and we agreed for the minor variation,” he said.
However, the business impact has been significant.
“We can clearly see that we have lost a sensible amount of sales because of those reduced hours and that has impacted the continuity of the business to a certain extent,” Amipara added.
New policy used to oppose application
Environmental Services officer Golam Chaudhry, representing the council’s noise team, used the new CIP to argue against the extended hours, warning that the application would place the shop “beyond policy.”
“Noise from revellers in the streets, from people smoking outside premises on the public highways or noises associated with the coming and going of patrons… cannot be controlled by the applicant nor by any other effective means other than by limiting the general hours in which premises can operate,” Chaudhry told the committee.
He emphasized concerns about the shop’s location: “There are residential properties over there. Three floors directly above the premises with these residents overlooking the entrance to the premises.”
“Given the very close proximity of the residents, I believe that it is inappropriate for beyond the policy trading to be considered.”
The officer also noted the shop’s unique position in the local market: “The premises would be an outlier of policy and so would potentially experience a greater demand in policy time than purely its location would normally generate due to the other competition being absent where they remain within policy.”
The CIP context
The Cumulative Impact Policy was adopted last month following a consultation that drew just 27 responses about Putney, with only 20 people supporting the proposed restrictions. The policy creates a presumption against any new or extended late-night operations after 11pm unless applicants can demonstrate they will not contribute to public nuisance or anti-social behaviour.
The move followed strong local feeling, with 74% of Putney respondents supporting the idea, compared to just 32% in Clapham Junction and 24% in Tooting Broadway. Residents described their frustration with the High Street after dark, with complaints about “shouting, fights, taxis blocking traffic, food all over the pavement” and streets that “smell like vomit and beer” in the morning.
Business defends application
The shop’s licensing consultant Graham Hopkins argued that the application should be granted, particularly for Friday and Saturday nights. “You’ll know that the hours Friday and Saturday, the framework hours are 2 o’clock anyway,” he told the committee. “I understand the Environmental Health Service didn’t object to that because that’s within the framework hours.”
Hopkins emphasized the shop’s responsible operation: “I have known Mr Amipara for many years now, and I can tell you that in my professional opinion, 20 years of being involved in licensing, that he’s one of our most responsible operators.”
The business offered additional conditions including CCTV monitoring, daily risk assessments, and a requirement for staff to “monitor the outside area by CCTV and physical checks and ask people who are, if anybody was drinking outside the shop or make noise to move away from the shop front.”
Significantly, Hopkins noted: “Not one of those residents that the officer has spoken about has made a representation. That includes the people over the shop who I understand have good relations with Mr Amipara, or the people either side. No residents.”
No complaints on record
Despite the 2022 incident, Environmental Services confirmed there have been no formal noise complaints against the premises. When asked directly, Chaudhry stated: “From our records there has been no noise complaints.”
The shop currently operates 24/7 for other goods with three staff working night shifts, and Amipara confirmed they maintain strict policies: “We straight away refused the sale. We never sell people who are under influence.”
Likely outcome
Based on the hearing discussion, the application appears likely to succeed for Friday and Saturday nights, with Environmental Health not objecting to weekend hours that fall within policy guidelines. However, the Sunday-Thursday extension faces stronger opposition under the new CIP framework.
The committee retired to make their decision privately, with the outcome to be confirmed in writing within five working days. The decision will set an important precedent for future applications under Putney’s new licensing restrictions.
Hopkins concluded his case by highlighting the economic pressures facing the business:
“Post COVID, post the energy crisis, the cost of everything going up, business has got tough, hospitality and retail have both suffered.”
