New Convenience Store Opens in Crowthorne Soon

A new convenience store will open in Crowthorne after councillors approved an alcohol licence with strict conditions. The Premier shop at 192 Dukes Ride, a small parade set back from the road near Crowthorne Station, will sell groceries, fresh produce, bakery items and alcohol.

cllr Patrick Smith said: "It wasn't a complicated one and councillors were happy with the proposed conditions and that residents' concerns were sufficiently integrated."

The applicant, Mohamed Ajmal Khan, is a franchisee who already runs similar shops, including one in Windsor, and showed experience in small retail.

Mr Khan originally applied to sell alcohol from 7am to 10.30pm daily, but agreed before the hearing to reduce the hours after local concerns. Crowthorne Parish Council had asked that hours match the nearby off-licence to minimise disturbance to residents above the parade.

The licence was granted subject to conditions from licensing officers and Thames Valley Police, including comprehensive CCTV with recordings kept for at least 31 days, staff training, a Challenge 25 policy, incident and refusals logs, litter measures and right-to-work checks. Thames Valley Police and council officers confirmed they had no objections provided the measures were in place.

Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter