A Newbridge coffee shop will be allowed to sell alcohol despite concerns being raised by a local church.
Caerphilly Council has granted a premises licence for The Coffee Vault to sell alcohol from Monday to Sunday between 11.30am and 11pm.
Shop owner Helen Dent told a hearing on October 11 that the licence would allow customers to “enjoy a glass of wine” with their food.
The Tabernacle Baptist Church, which submitted a petition against the proposals, feared the availability of alcohol would aggravate existing antisocial behaviour in Newbridge.
But Ms Dent said: “There’s no way that I’d try to cause any problems, and there’s already other coffee shops in Newbridge selling alcohol.
“I’m just trying to keep my business afloat. It’s just for people to enjoy a glass of wine when we have tapas evenings.
“I’ve no intention of serving any children or teenagers. It’s not like I’m going to be selling cans.”
The shop will be required to have CCTV operational during the licensed hours and for two hours afterwards.
Staff will also be expected to challenge any customers looking to buy alcohol who look under 25 years of age.
“Our aim is to provide people of Newbridge with a happy and sociable place to visit,” continued Ms Dent.
“I don’t understand why people from the church haven’t come to speak to me to see why we wanted to do it.”
Jeff Champion, a representative of the church, told the committee that the licence would have a ‘detrimental impact’ on Newbridge and claimed to have received ‘regular’ reports of antisocial behaviour.
He said that police had issued a dispersal order in August 2016 to crack down on issues reported across several areas of Newbridge, including the Calzaghe Bridge near the shop.
But committee chair Councillor Denver Preece dismissed Mr Champion’s remarks, adding that Gwent Police had no objections to the application.
Despite their objections, Mr Champion said the church ‘did not bear any grudge’ against the Coffee Vault.
“We just hope that there would be sufficient conditions applied to ensure some of the dangers are mitigated against,” he said.
“We don’t want to damage their trade. Unfortunately, some people have interpreted our concerns in the wrong way.”
The committee was given five working days to come to a decision and informed interested parties earlier this week.
Any parties have the right of appeal to the Magistrates Court within 21 days of being notified of the decision.