A decision to open another late-night off-licence in Bearwood has been approved.
Sandwell Council’s licensing committee approved a plan for the new Continental Market shop in Bearwood Road, Bearwood, Smethwick to sell alcohol.
The hearing was held following a number of complaints from neighbours who said another new late-night shop was turning Bearwood’s high street into a ‘health and safety risk.’
A decision was due to be made in September but the meeting was adjourned over a “discrepancy” with the shop’s layout and the licensing committee granted applicant Ali Ashorbig’s request to push back a decision so he could provide the council with the correct documents.
The application was approved at a hearing on Tuesday (November 25).
One objector said smashed glass bottles, drug paraphernalia and human waste were making Bearwood Road a “health and safety risk.”
“The high street has more than its fair share of establishments selling alcoholic beverages and food,” the objection said. “We do not require any more.”
The shop opened in the former Twisty Pretzel bakery next door to another off-licence JM Shop which opened last year.
An objector said there was “no demonstrable need” for another off-licence in Bearwood Road.
“The area is surrounded by many schools,” the objection read. “It is already subject to problems that place young people at risk; adding late-night alcohol sales and vapes could normalise and attract further harmful behaviour.
“It is important to note that the immediate area already has multiple off licences, with the nearest being next door.
“The saturation of such premises has not improved the area’s condition, in fact it has coincided with the rise in disorder, littering and nuisance behaviour.
“There is no demonstrable need for another outlet such as this on Bearwood Road.”
One resident living in nearby Wattis Road said they were “increasingly concerned” by the increase in late-night shops in Bearwood.
“Currently, the area already hosts four such establishments, Quincy’s Market, The Bob Shop, JM Shop and Vape, and Eagles Booze, all of which sell similar products and maintain similar storefronts.
“The cumulative impact of these shops has coincided with a noticeable increase in antisocial behaviour, including loitering, disturbances during late hours, and suspicious activity involving vehicles parked outside these premises.”
Camelia Gonciulea, the former owner of Twisty Pretzel, was wrongly chased by debt collectors over a £24,000 electricity bill in 2024 after criminals illegally hooked up a huge cannabis farm to the bakery’s mains.
The two-year deal to clear her name saw the bakery owner charged £6,000 in interest before bailiffs were told to stand down.
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