Council board renews over-provision policy

New condition gives restaurants and cafés more flexibility regarding off-sales

A controversial policy restricting the number of shops able to sell alcohol across Dundee has been renewed by the council’s licensing board.

The over-provision policy was introduced in January this year after experts argued the number of off-sales premises could be a factor in the city’s high rate of alcohol-related deaths and ill health.

Officers carried out a six-week public consultation on the move, which ended on November 2.

Only six written responses were received, including one objection from the Scottish Grocers Federation, which represents Scottish convenience stores.

The organisation questioned whether the policy is “fit for purpose” and said it believes a blanket over-provision stance is “not appropriate”.

Licensing consultant Janet Hood, who represents many of the city’s licensed premises, also questioned the wisdom of a city-wide policy.

She said: “I believe it is important to look to areas of the city which might benefit from having new convenience stores and consider whether the whole city policy is reasonable in circumstances where there is a lack of convenience stores.

“These stores employ people, buy from local suppliers, serve their immediate community and add to the general wellbeing of the areas they serve.”

However, all members of the licensing board agreed to a recommendation that the scheme should continue as part of the Statement of Licensing Policy 20182022.

A condition has been added to give restaurants and cafés more flexibility in alcohol off-sales.

A report to the board stated: “There have been a number of applications recently from premises proposing to operate as restaurants/cafés/ refreshments-type premises for an offsales facility.

“In most, if not all, of these cases, the board has imposed a condition on the premises to the effect that alcohol can only be purchased for off-sales consumption by patrons already on the premises and having partaken of a meal on the premises.

“This has only been developed as a practice since the adoption of the previous policy.”

The new condition states: “Any sales of alcohol for consumption off the premises must only be to patrons who have consumed a meal (or refreshments as applicable) on the premises or as part of a combined sale of food and drink order delivered from the premises.”

Despite the aim to restrict availability of alcohol, the policy still means applications can be granted on a caseby-case basis.

These stores employ people, buy from local suppliers, serve their immediate community and add to the general wellbeing of the areas they serve. JANET HOOD