Plans to open a wine shop in a part of Kingston plagued by 'antisocial behaviour, street drinking and violent incidents' have been thrown out.

The Met Police had opposed an application from Lloyds Local Kingston for a premises licence to open in an empty unit on Eden Street, in Kingston town centre.

Kingston Council's Licensing Committee refused to grant the licence, after listening to concerns from the Met Police, public health and residents at a hearing on 22 April.

The committee, in a new report outlining its decision, ruled opening the shop would be inappropriate due to the area's 'persistent problems' with antisocial behaviour and other booze-related incidents.

Police Sergeant Jeremy Weston, Licensing Officer for the Met, said Eden Street was part of a 'well-documented crime hotspot, with frequent reports of antisocial behaviour, street drinking and violent incidents' at the hearing.

Sergeant Weston said the shop was very close to Eagle Brewery Wharf, which had been covered by a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) since 2020, restricting noise and alcohol consumption, in a bid to tackle antisocial behaviour in the area.

Sergeant Weston said: "The introduction of an additional off-licence in this location would only aggravate these issues by increasing the availability of alcohol in an area already struggling with crime and ASB."

He added: "If this licence is granted, we risk seeing increased street drinking, more antisocial behaviour, greater strain on police and council resources."

Ian Madle, representing residents of Queens Reach, a nearby apartment block, also called for the plans to be rejected as he said residents' lives had been plagued by antisocial behaviour at Eagle Brewery Wharf for many years.

He described the area as a magnet for crowds of teenagers who got drunk, took drugs and played loud music, which led to residents losing sleep, checking into hotels on weekends and even moving out of the area.

An objection letter from Laura MacLehose, the council's Acting Director of Public Health, added: "If the licence were to be granted, I believe that the off-sales of alcohol in this locality would also encourage people who have already consumed alcohol on a night out, and whose judgement will be impaired, to purchase more alcohol on their way home."

The application, submitted by Naresh Das, would have allowed the shop to sell booze from 9am to 10pm on Sundays to Thursdays, and from 9am to 12am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Licensing consultant Surendra Panchal, representing Mr Das, said the shop would not cater to teenagers or street drinkers as it would be marketed as selling specialist wines.

Although it would sell other alcoholic drinks, he said, it would not stock strong beers or single cans.

Mr Panchal told the hearing the shop would put in place measures to address concerns about antisocial behaviour, including employing a security guard to stand outside the venue from 12pm to closing time every day and installing extra CCTV.

He added: "This shop has been closed since the Covid period, so it's a closed shop and it's now going to be open. It's going to be an exclusive shop in the area, which would bring the area prominence."

But the committee decided these extra measures would not prevent antisocial behaviour. The report said the committee also had 'concerns about the applicant not operating in a responsible manner'.

It added: "The Licensing Sub-Committee took into account the activities and hours sought but given the ongoing nature of street drinking in the area, the Licensing Sub-Committee felt that the premises would not be suitable in this area and the conditions would not address the problems of ASB."