The “first authentic Goan store” is set to open in Southall after councillors granted Goa Food and Wine an alcohol licence.
There were strong objections from the Metropolitan Police and Karibu Community Homes. However, Ealing Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee concluded that the applicant was “a reasonable operator with a good understanding of the licensing
objectives”.
The applicant made the case that the store, which will be based on Dudley Road, would fill a gap in the local market by serving the local Goan community. His representative stated the store will be specialist, “offering authentic products that are currently unavailable in the area despite the south having a large Goan community”.
In Southall, around 8%-10% of the Indian population are Goan. Southall has been dubbed as ‘Little India’ in many cases, as around half of its’ 80,000 residents are of Indian descent. Goa in particular is a state in Western India, right by the Arabian Sea so is filled with beautiful beach spots and tropical spice plantations.
Instead of selling primarily mainstream beers and ciders, the store will import authentic Goan spirits, which are estimated to make up a small portion of the overall stock. This includes cashew feni and coconut feni, alcohol that is distilled with these
ingredients.
To add to the store’s authenticity, Mr Sequeira (the applicant) proposed adding a fresh fish counter, subject to landlord approval, arguing that the Goan community is “very crazy for fishes”. Goan food in particular is an exhilarating blend of coastal Indian spices, coconut and Portugese influences, as historically, Goa was an Portugese colony. Other staples include fish curry, pork vindaloo (fatty meat with garlic and vinegar), and other variants of seafood.
The main objections related to the sale of alcohol, and at the meeting Mr Sequeira said: “I choose peace over money or choose peace over late licences”.
The shop, which will close at 10pm daily, faced opposition from the police. At the hearing, PC Anu of the Met Police detailed how groups of people already loiter outside the existing off-licences on Dudley Road, arguing that the new store “would
be a magnet for them” if approved.
To mitigate concerns about late night disturbances, Mr Sequeria voluntarily proposed closing at 10pm, an earlier time than nearby off-licences. His representative said: “The proposed earlier time of 10pm will reduce and not increase the local impact.”
PC Anu also pointed out that there are already three off-licences on the same small parade of shops, all of which have breached licensing conditions. However, this is irrelevant in the decision-making process, which assesses each application on merit
rather than local need.
Nearby residents were represented by Janet Tower, who described the impact that existing street drinking has on tenants. She told the committee that she personally witnessed individuals congregating outside the building “already intoxicated at 9:30
in the morning”.
She added that residents have often had to step oversleeping drunk people on the street and made the case that granting the licence would “exacerbate the situation that [they] currently have”.
Mr Sequeria emphasised that the store is predominantly a grocery and food business rather than a traditional off-licence. He estimated that “85 per cent of the store will be for food” and only about “10 to 15 per cent will be for the drink”.
