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Licensing appeal in progress

The licensing appeal is in progress.

Tesco have proposed various conditions as a way of trying to get a licence – including not advertising alcohol on their windows. (This is somewhat ironic given that Tesco were caught only last month advertising wine in their Mill Road window, which attracted the interest of the regulatory authorities …)

We will update on the outcome of the appeal when we have it.

Tesco licensing appeal date set

We have now heard that the date of the licensing appeal is 23rd – 25th February, to be held at Cambridge Magistrates Court.

We understand there are 18 witnesses in total.

CEN article: Anger as ‘dry’ Tesco puts up adverts for half-price wine

We cannot help point out that if the manager, Mr Capone, and his staff cannot get a simple thing like this right, what hope is there for the more sensitive task of ensuring that alcohol is only sold in a legal manner, a matter which is subject to examination in the Magistrates’ Court shortly…

raymond.brown@cambridge-news.co.uk

Posters in the window

TESCO has been ordered to remove adverts for cheap wine from its shop in Cambridge’s Mill Road – because it has no alcohol licence.

Trading Standards officers launched an investigation after the adverts were displayed at the controversial Express store.

Campaigners accused Tesco chiefs of “contempt for the community” for plugging half-price Dino Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio wines, in an area where new alcohol licences are routinely opposed.

Trading Standards officers visited the store and spoke to manager Luke Capone, who agreed to take down the posters – which advertised deals available in other Tesco branches.

The Mill Road shop, which opened last August, was refused an alcohol licence after police objected because it falls within a ‘cumulative impact zone’ – which creates a presumption against giving out new licences.

Beverley Carpenter, co-ordinator of the No Mill Road Tesco campaign, said: “We are dismayed that Tesco has once again demonstrated complete insensitivity and lack of respect for the local community in posting advertisements for cheap alcohol in Mill Road.

“Their half-price offer on bottles of wine as seen in the window of their Express store on Mill Road is not only within a ‘cumulative impact zone’ but in a store that has been expressly refused permission to sell alcohol amid a huge public outcry and unprecedented publicity for any alcohol licence application in Cambridge.”

Supermarket bosses are appealing against the Cambridge City Council decision.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Trading Standards said: “I can confirm that we have received an inquiry from a member of the public, and we investigated the advertising used by Tesco in their Mill Road store.

“One of our officers visited the store and spoke to the manager who took down the adverts.”

Tesco’s appeal against the licence decision will be heard at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court later this month.

Cambridge Evening News, 1st February 2010

Tesco advertising half-price wine on Mill Road

Why are Tesco advertising half-price wine on Mill Road, an area with a known with an alcohol problem, when they were refused a license to sell alcohol?

CEN article on broken window

The CEN has published an article about a recent breakage of the window in Tesco’s window, as below.

For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to make clear that No Mill Road Tesco is not associated with this attack and that we deplore any form of violence. We deplore the way that the Cambridge Evening News has mixed two separate issues – this attack, and the alcohol licence appeal – in its article below. We were not approached for a comment, and the quotation given was from several months ago.

The article also failed to point out that the Londis store (opposite Tesco) was also attacked at the same time and that alcohol was stolen from their store.

Shop attacked as Tesco bids for drinks licence

raymond.brown@cambridge-news.co.uk

Shop window

VANDALS have struck twice at Tesco in Mill Road, Cambridge.

A brick was thrown through the front window of the store, which opened despite a two-year fight by residents and other shops who said it would ruin the road’s character.

In the other attack, someone tried to put their foot through the window. No other shops in the area were targeted.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We are working with the police on this matter.”

Tesco is appealing against a decision not to give the store an alcohol licence for its Mill Road store. The chain sought a licence to sell alcohol from 10am-10pm seven days a week, but the area is a “cumulative impact zone”, which creates a presumption against giving out new alcohol licences.

Police objected to the original application, saying it could add to disorder in the area.

When the city council’s licensing sub-committee rejected the application for a drinks licence last year, it was greeted with loud applause from campaigners.

Ruth Deyermond, planning co-ordinator of the No Mill Road Tesco campaign, then hailed the decision “a victory for common sense and the community”.

The No Mill Road Tesco Campaign has vowed to fight Tesco’s appeal for a drinks licence. A spokeswoman said: “We will maintain the opposition we successfully put forward at the licensing committee.”

The case will be heard at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

Cambridge Evening News, 16th January 2010

Mill Road Winter Fair

Come to the Mill Road Winter Fair on Saturday 5th December!

We’ll be there promoting the new Milly Card.

PS Check out the video from last year showing the projections onto the former Wilco site!

http://www.nomillroadtesco.org/2008/12/09/mill-road-winter-fair-2008/PS

Milly Card – please print off the poster

In advance of the launch of the Milly card scheme for Mill Road at the Winter Fair on Saturday 5th December please can we ask you to display the Milly
window poster in support of the scheme. This can be downloaded from our website.
You will be able to join the scheme at our stall outside Hilary’s Greengrocers. The fee is £2 which will entitle you to all sorts of discounts and offers
from participating local traders. A plastic card will be sent through the post with your unique member number.

In advance of the launch of the new Milly card scheme for Mill Road at the Winter Fair on Saturday 5th December, please display the Milly window poster in support of the scheme! This can be downloaded from our website.

You will be able to join the scheme at our stall outside Hilary’s Greengrocers at the Mill Road Winter Fair. The fee is £2 which will entitle you to all sorts of discounts and offers from participating local traders. A plastic card will be sent through the post with your unique member number.

More details on the new Milly Card website coming soon from the Mill Road Society …

Click on the poster to create a printable version.

Milly

Introducing the Milly Card

A message from the Mill Road Society …

Dear supporter,

As part of our support for traders in the we are launching a Mill Road traders discount scheme. This scheme called ‘Milly’ will be launched at the Winter Fair where we hope to get lots of members of the public to sign up to the scheme. Prior to this we are endeavouring to get as many of the local traders on board as possible with discount and other special offers.

Read our briefing, ‘Introducing The Milly Card’. It will cost £2 for members of the public to join and get a Milly card. For the traders, the cost will only be the cost of discounts and special offers that they wish to offer.

We are looking for people to help us in discussions with the traders. Please help us if you can talk to traders (shops, restaurants, service providers) in the Mill Road area about the scheme and hopefully get them on board.

We are also looking for some volunteers to help us run the Milly stall at the Winter Fair.

If you are willing to help with either of the above, please e-mail us – we are coordinating the discussions with the traders. (If you know any traders particularly well or have a preference over who you would like to contact – please let us know).

We hope that you will support our Milly and assist us with the launch. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

Coming soon …

Coming soon ...

Alcohol license appeal update

As you may know, Tesco plan to appeal against the decision not to allow it to be an additional alcohol licensee on Mill Road, despite the statement on their website which says: “We do not apply for licences in areas with known disorder issues.” Mill Road is a Cumulative Impact Zone, which means that new license applications are normally refused, and Tesco should be no different – but they have appealed.

We understand that the hearing for this is likely to be in the new year, but we (and other objectors) have no further details as yet. We will send out an update to supporters when such details arrive.

This will mean that the 14th Tesco-owned store in Cambridge will have no opportunity for Christmas drink sales, reducing the profitability of its outlet on Mill Road further.