Alcohol bid withdrawn in wake of concerns

Police and council licensing chiefs had both objected to the bid by Elankeeran Rajakulam for a licence to sell alcohol from the Local mini market at 113 to 115 Lytham Road.

They had concerns the move would increase social problems in the neighbourhood.

The application site is also within Bloomfield ward which is one of four wards in the town covered by a saturation policy which gives the council extra powers to control the proliferation of off licences.

Mark Marshall, head of licensing at Blackpool Council, had warned Bloomfield ward already has the highest concentration of off-licences in Blackpool at 24, with about 40 per cent of those on Lytham Road.