Blackpool store gets go ahead to sell alcohol until midnight

A town hall licensing panel has granted Gunaratnam Ketheeswaran permission to extend the licensing hours at the Family Shopper on Whitegate Drive until midnight.

The police and the council's licensing service had objected to the application to increase the hours to 7am until midnight seven days a week, because the premises is within the cumulative impact area.

This means there is already a high concentration of licensed premises in the area, and the applicant must prove any changes will not trigger an increase in anti-social behaviour.

But documents setting out the decision of the panel, says councillors "noted the good operating record of the applicant and acknowledged the investment that had been made into the business."

It was agreed "that based on all the information provided by the applicant the additional hours proposed would not add to the cumulative impact."