Phone and vape shop wins permission to sell alcohol from Sunderland City Council

Sunderland City Council’s licensing sub-committee this week approved an application for a premises licence for PhonesNVapes, which sits in Front Street, in the Chilton Moor area.

According to information provided by the applicant, the premises will be primarily a vape shop with mobile phone sales/repairs attached to the main business.

However, the applicant wanted to add the “retail sale of alcohol for off sales and delivery” and applied for the “off sale of alcohol, Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm”.

There was a single public objection raising concerns about the licensing bid “increasing the risk of minors gaining access to alcohol and encouraging further loitering and anti-social behaviour”.

A public hearing was held at City Hall to consider the application and, although the objector did not attend, a case was put forward by the applicant.

Councillors were told that the alcohol licence aimed to “enhance” the business and make it “more sustainable” against a backdrop of a new licensing regime for vapes and tobacco.

It was also noted that the business did not plan to pursue alcohol deliveries to customers immediately but “down the line in a year or two”.

Councillors were told that there were no objections from Northumbria Police, subject to licensing conditions, and council licensing officers confirmed no illegal sales of vapes had been recorded at the premises.

The licensing sub-committee agreed to grant the alcohol licence with additional conditions.

These included the business promoting “considerate parking” on its website, and via shop signage, as well as signage aiming to deter “loitering” in the area.