Lidl applies for alcohol licence for possible Linthorpe store

Permission is being sought from Middlesbrough Council so that the prospective shop can sell booze for consumption off of the premises between 7am and 11pm daily.

The German discount supermarket has been hoping to build a store in Linthorpe for several years, but has faced setbacks after a planning refusal, inspectorate dismissal and committee deferral. Its application for the site on the corner of Green Lane and Roman Road is likely to appear in front of the planning committee again in the next few months, potentially as soon as Thursday, July 2.

The company is in the process of trying to secure a similar premises licence for a potential store in the south of the town, on the site of the former Marton Hotel & Country Club, located on Stokesley Road, which is also yet to gain planning permission, but is likely to receive a decision from Middlesbrough ’s planning committee before the end of the year.

CGI of Lidl’s latest proposal for Green Lane, Linthorpe.

The premises licence application for the Green Lane location was made on Thursday, June 11, and any representations must be made to the council’s licensing department by Thursday, July 9. If the authority grants permission, the licence will run for 16 hours each day, seven days a week – although the store likely wouldn’t be open for such lengthy periods, with the two current stores in Middlesbrough operating from 8am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

Documents state steps will be taken to promote four licensing objectives, which are:

• prevention of crime and disorder,
• public safety,
• prevention of public nuisance,
• protection of children from harm.

The application form discusses how staff will be trained “regarding appropriate precautions” to prevent the sale of alcohol to children under the age of 18, as well as the signs and symptoms of drunk persons and the “refusal of sale due to intoxication”. Staff are also to be trained so that they can recognise “proxy purchases”.

If an employee suspects a customer to be under the age of 25, a street drinker, or attempting a proxy purchase, they will “immediately” call the duty manager, who will then decide if the sale should be allowed.