A fresh permission is being sought for alcohol to be sold at a convenience store in Reading town centre, where the previous owner had got into trouble with the police.
A new application has been submitted to allow alcohol to be sold again at a convenience store in Market Place, Reading town centre — the shop sits between Greggs and Romans estate agents.
The bid seeks permission to sell alcohol between 8am and 11pm each day. It has been lodged with Reading Borough Council's licensing department, and a statutory consultation is currently live. You can comment by emailing licensing@reading.gov.uk. The consultation ends on Thursday, January 15.
The fresh application follows a string of issues under the previous owner, Gurjeet Bajaj. Thames Valley Police accused Mr Bajaj of hiring an illegal worker, handling stolen jackets and selling duty‑diverted tobacco, and his alcohol licence was revoked at a licensing applications sub‑committee meeting in June last year.
A police report said an 'intoxicated' man was serving behind the counter during an inspection in April. Although the man had entered the UK legally, his visa had been curtailed, removing his right to work.
On the allegation of handling stolen jackets, officers say Mr Bajaj co‑operated when a suspect with a Marks & Spencer jacket tried to hide in the store last February. When officers found a second jacket, Mr Bajaj told them he had purchased it himself from Next.
The new application is being made by Afghan national Manmeet Singh Rajwansi under his company Market Convenience Store Ltd.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
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