PETITION: Say no to 24/7 alcohol at the Kingston Road BP in New Malden
By now, you may be aware of the proposal submitted to Kingston Council currently being consulted on to allow the BP on Kingston Road to sell alcohol and hot food 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As the Independent Team representing the area around the BP, we have already voiced our concerns about the impact this will have on the surrounding area – increased noise, public nuisance and crime and disorder.
The petrol station has applied twice before for 24 hour alcohol, both times being refused after strong intervention from local residents and your Independent Team – notably former Councillor Mary Clark.
A recent report completed by Kingston University concluded that 59% of the Kingston University students that took part in the survey drank alcohol before going out and 83% of the nightclub members also pre-loaded alcohol before going out. This BP is located just a few hundred metres away from 360 students at the purpose-built Arbury Court student housing near Aldi on the Kingston Road.
One survey of 19-35 year olds found that those who reported pre-loading reported significantly higher total alcohol consumption over a night out than those who waited to drink until reaching the bars and nightclubs. Pre-loaders were also more than twice as likely to have been involved in a fight. This contravenes the licensing objectives stated above.
As Rose Cottage Service Station will be the only licensed premises in that area to still be open after midnight, this may encourage people who may have already consumed alcohol on a night out to purchase more alcohol on their way home.
Every year, 8.800 Kingston residents consume alcohol to a level that places them in a high risk of alcohol-related harm – far higher than the London average – and the Council has to spend over £1.5m a year on treatment services to stop alcohol abuse… and that doesn’t even take into account the money spent fighting alcohol related crime. In 2017, there were 13 assaults within 500 metres of the premises, 3 reported incidents of head injuries, and 24 alcohol related incidents plus an additional 2 which were related to young people aged under 26 years.
Independent Champions James Giles and Yvonne Tracey are working alongside local resident Frederick Corbett to ensure that this application is refused.
But in order to do that, we need your support. Please use the form below to send a representation to the Council and let them know that you are against alcohol being sold all night here too. Alternatively, you can send your own representation to david.kingstone@kingston.gov.uk.
