A former pub in West Bromwich is set to be converted into a Morrisons Daily convenience store after receiving an alcohol licence, but the hours for selling alcohol have been restricted following objections from neighbours concerned about school children.
Licence Approved with Conditions
Sandwell Council's licensing committee approved an application by Ajay Chumber to sell alcohol at the store until 11pm every day. However, the committee pushed back the start time for alcohol sales from the originally requested 6am to 10am, citing concerns raised by local residents.
The former Hargate Arms in Hargate Lane will be transformed into the new store, located just yards from Hargate Primary School. The long hours initially proposed attracted objections, with several neighbours attending the hearing at Sandwell Council House in Oldbury to speak against the plans.
Neighbour Concerns
All objectors described the former pub site as an "unsuitable location" for a late-night shop that would attract anti-social behaviour, particularly street drinking, and exacerbate existing parking problems in the area.
"There is going to be further pressure on what is an already congested area," one neighbour who would live next to the new shop said at the hearing.
Labour councillors Paul Moore and Amardeep Singh submitted an objection on behalf of residents on the nearby Tantany estate, expressing concern that selling alcohol early in the morning and late into the evening could lead to more noise, disturbance, and anti-social behaviour.
Objection Details
The objection stated: "The availability of alcohol for off-sale from 6am daily raises concerns regarding early morning street drinking, increased anti-social behaviour, and related disorder within nearby residential streets. Residents fear this could lead to increased nuisance, littering, and potential low-level criminal activity."
Earlier this year, planning officers at Sandwell Council refused a retrospective planning application to continue using a former station in Hargate Lane as a warehouse, calling it "inappropriate" for the area and noting its "detrimental impact" on Hargate Primary School and nearby homes. The council had received complaints and CCTV footage showing lorries reversing along the narrow Hargate Lane, which is sign-posted as 'unsuitable for HGVs'.
Previous Developments
In 2024, a plan to add more rooms to a house of multiple occupation (HMO) in the former pub was rejected by Sandwell Council. The old watering hole's first-floor function room had been converted into an eight-bed HMO after the pub closed to patrons in 2016.
