Chicken takeaway alcohol licence bid refused

A Cornwall roadside chicken restaurant and takeaway has had its bid to serve alcohol rejected by councillors.

The owners of Wing Shed on Pentewan Road, in London Apprentice, near St Austell, had applied to Cornwall Council for a licence.

Wing Shed's owners said the intention was to sell low strength beers, but a number of objections were received by residents who said they were at their "wits' end" over issues including dangerous parking and anti-social behaviour at the site.

Members of the council's Licensing Act Sub Committee voted to refuse the application.

Wesley Blair, co-owner of Wing Shed, said the plans were not for the site to become a place for people to "come to get drunk".

He added the business had put signs up in recent weeks asking customers not to park outside after concerns were raised by residents.

Mr Blair said: "Obviously, there have been people parking wherever they choose, which has been inconvenient for local residents, but if we've seen it we have asked customers politely to move.

"They've all been very obliging, but it is quite difficult to get people to use the lay-bys further up the road."

When asked if the company had considered finding alternative parking options, Mr Blair said a local landowner had approached them to rent a nearby field, but it ended up being unaffordable for them.

Mr Blair told the meeting that when the business first opened in London Apprentice, things "got a little bit out of hand" with people turning up for food, but the situation had improved.

However, Julie Cunningham, Reform councillor for St Mewan and Grampound - the ward covering London Apprentice, said residents had reported incidents of beeping horns, vehicles being revved and rowdy conduct, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Residents are frankly at their wits' end as evidenced by their numerous complaints to me and the local parish council," she added.

Alison Taylor, one of the residents who objected to the application, said signs telling motorists not to park along the roadside were being ignored.

Ms Taylor, who supplied photographs to the council to highlight local concerns, added Wing Shed's owners had not approached residents about the issues nor how to alleviate them.

The committee refused the application over concerns the premises were already negatively impacting residents.

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