24-hour drink bid a ‘bad idea’

7:00am Monday 18th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Freddie Whittaker, covering Politics and Kidlington. Call me on 01865 425498

Elizabeth Mills Elizabeth Mills

A BID to sell food and alcohol 24 hours a day from a home in South Oxford has sparked concerns.

Georgios Stavropoulos has applied to Oxford City Council for a premises licence at 25 Gordon Street, off Vicarage Road.

He wants to sell Greek deli food products and alcohol over the internet for delivery from the house. No face-to-face alcohol sales would be made.

But campaigners in areas heavily populated by students say they are worried about the impact the service might have.

Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association chairman Elizabeth Mills said: “Anything which makes alcohol more readily available to an already alcohol-soaked section of our community is a bad idea.

“If they’re running a door-to-door delivery service, with all the costs associated with that, they’re going to have to seriously mark up their prices.

“It’s likely they would only get purchasers who are already very drunk and are calling to get hold of more alcohol. I can’t imagine anyone with a large amount of forethought would use their service.

“They shouldn’t be given a licence, it would be a disaster if they were.”

In his application to the council, Mr Stavropoulos re-assured officers he would not be selling alcohol directly from the premises in Gordon Street – only online.

Related links

He said: “Our courier will ask for valid ID. No consumption, or sales of alcohol will take place in the premises.”

Oxfordshire County Councillor John Tanner, who represents residents in Gordon Street as part of his Isis council ward, said he wasn’t opposed to the idea, but questioned the need for the service to run 24 hours a day.

He said: “I think the licensing committee will want to be satisfied there won’t be disruption to residents, particularly if it’s going to be running 24-7.

“I would be unhappy with the idea of scooters and vans travelling in and out of quite narrow streets at 3am, but I wouldn’t rule out the idea altogether.”

If the bid is approved, the service won’t be the first in the city. The 247 Alcohol Delivery Service is already popular in the city and wider Oxfordshire.

Mr Stavropoulos was unavailable for comment.

Comments (7)

7:26am Mon 18 Feb 13

norton manor says...

what's it got to do with the Divinity rd association???? they are at lest 1-2 miles away
what's it got to do with the Divinity rd association???? they are at lest 1-2 miles away norton manor

8:17am Mon 18 Feb 13

Dilligaf2010 says...

norton manor wrote:
what's it got to do with the Divinity rd association???? they are at lest 1-2 miles away
Good point ;-)
[quote][p][bold]norton manor[/bold] wrote: what's it got to do with the Divinity rd association???? they are at lest 1-2 miles away[/p][/quote]Good point ;-) Dilligaf2010

9:32am Mon 18 Feb 13

Dick Wolff says...

Er, it's a delivery service (for the whole of Oxford presumably). Where the office is is irrelevant.
Er, it's a delivery service (for the whole of Oxford presumably). Where the office is is irrelevant. Dick Wolff

10:16am Mon 18 Feb 13

xjohnx says...

My only concern would be licencing a business in a residentual area. The neighbourhood will probably suffer very badly.

Business good. Suffering neighbours Bad.

Whats wrong with a trading estate?
My only concern would be licencing a business in a residentual area. The neighbourhood will probably suffer very badly. Business good. Suffering neighbours Bad. Whats wrong with a trading estate? xjohnx

12:38pm Mon 18 Feb 13

zimmer, Wolvecote. says...

Dick Wolff wrote:
Er, it's a delivery service (for the whole of Oxford presumably). Where the office is is irrelevant.
Dick, there are two 24/7 off licences within a mile of professional complainer Mills and 5 food outlets open until 4-5 am. Norton is correct is his comment, as anybody local to her can get these services already. Or maybe you are correct and she can object to an office in Scotland that delivers to Oxford.
[quote][p][bold]Dick Wolff[/bold] wrote: Er, it's a delivery service (for the whole of Oxford presumably). Where the office is is irrelevant.[/p][/quote]Dick, there are two 24/7 off licences within a mile of professional complainer Mills and 5 food outlets open until 4-5 am. Norton is correct is his comment, as anybody local to her can get these services already. Or maybe you are correct and she can object to an office in Scotland that delivers to Oxford. zimmer, Wolvecote.

1:57pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Andrew:Oxford says...

Essentially this will be the warehouse and delivery depot for an on-line business.

The most important element will be that the gentleman pays business rates on the premises.
Essentially this will be the warehouse and delivery depot for an on-line business. The most important element will be that the gentleman pays business rates on the premises. Andrew:Oxford

8:18am Tue 19 Feb 13

Grandpontman says...

Gordon Street is a very small road in a heavily residential area.In order to obtain the alcohol at a competitive enough price to sell at a profit he will have to bulk buy,which will involve lorry or large van deliveries.I'm not sure what storeage he has,but it's unlikely to be huge,so deliveries will be frequent I imagine.I would also think that once it's known that large amounts of alcohol are stored there,the risk of attempted break-ins etc will rise,which will have an impact on people living in the street/area.Understa
ndably he's trying to do this without the cost of expensive premises to make it viable,but I can't see anyway that this won't have a detrimental effect on people living in the street.
Gordon Street is a very small road in a heavily residential area.In order to obtain the alcohol at a competitive enough price to sell at a profit he will have to bulk buy,which will involve lorry or large van deliveries.I'm not sure what storeage he has,but it's unlikely to be huge,so deliveries will be frequent I imagine.I would also think that once it's known that large amounts of alcohol are stored there,the risk of attempted break-ins etc will rise,which will have an impact on people living in the street/area.Understa ndably he's trying to do this without the cost of expensive premises to make it viable,but I can't see anyway that this won't have a detrimental effect on people living in the street. Grandpontman

Comments are closed on this article.

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree