Alcohol Sales Bid at Woodley Store Denied Again

Wokingham councillors have refused a fresh application to sell alcohol at Brecon Stores in Woodley.

The shop on Brecon Road is owned by Kulbir Singh Kapoor, who faced allegations that vodka was sold to a 12-year-old and alcohol to a 14-year-old. He also admitted selling counterfeit and unsafe alcohol and paid penalties totalling £9,029. His licence was revoked last September.

The store is complying with the revocation and currently sells snacks and limited-edition energy drinks. Staff said alcohol has been banned for most of the six months one employee has worked there.

Attempts to restore sales include an appeal Mr Singh Kapoor lodged last September but withdrew on the eve of a magistrates court hearing, incurring £1,000 in costs. An application by Vivek Bohara was rejected in March, and a later application was made by Gaganpreet Singh seeking sales from 7am to 11pm daily.

A proposed condition aimed to bar the previous owner from involvement, stating: "Previous management who owned this business or had any involvement with Mr Singh Kapoor shall not be allowed to enter the property; they shall be banned from the premises."

Other suggested conditions included staff training on licensing and sales refusals and a Challenge 25 age-verification policy.

But trading standards officers and Thames Valley Police objected, warning approval would fail to uphold the licensing objectives on crime and disorder, protection of children and public safety.

A council report said: "Staff were not trained, there were no training records available, staff were unable to explain training or talk through age-restricted products, including Mr Singh, who was unable to recall the four licensing objectives without looking up on his phone or explain adequately what they meant."

It added: "He thought only he needed to be trained and stated he was not aware that all staff needed to be trained."

The licensing panel met in private because of confidential material and refused the application. The decision was made by councillors Pauline Jorgensen (Conservative, Hillside), Kay Gilder (Conservative, South Lake) and Beth Rowland (Liberal Democrats, South Lake).

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter