REPRESENTATIVES of a company which has extended opening hours at a village petrol station to 24/7 and has asked Cornwall Council to allow it to sell alcohol at all times of the day and night have said residents have nothing to fear.

Birmingham-based Samy Investments Limited bought Probus School Filling Station in September from the Poore family, who had run it for 66 years.

The company immediately extended opening hours at the petrol station and its Morrisons Daily shop to 24 hours.

Mohan Samy, director of the company which owns 55 stores and petrol stations across the UK, applied to Cornwall Council’s licensing department for 24-hour off licence sales of alcohol from the shop as well as late-night food and drink between 11pm and 5am seven days a week (mostly for the use of a coffee machine rather than food).

However, eight residents who live near the petrol station on Fore Street in Probus, near Truro, had written to the council opposing the licence changes, fearing the “potential for further antisocial behaviour in the area” and the “risk of groups drinking, noise, disorder and litter” as well as an increase in traffic.

None of those opposing the licence changes attended a council committee meeting yesterday (Wednesday, November 4), which made a decision following representations from Mr Samy and his solicitor, Robert Botkai.

Mr Botkai told councillors that most of his client’s stores are open 24 hours and there had often been initial local opposition from residents concerned about the effect of the long opening hours. However, he said, that none of Mr Samy’s licences have ever been reviewed and initial concerns were unwarranted.

He said that our previous story about the plans to sell alcohol 24/7 in Probus led to positive feedback from customers and since the store changed its opening hours two months ago it had not received any negative comment.

Mr Botkai added that the company did not envisage any of the residents’ concerns materialising, adding there was no evidence to suggest there was anti-social behaviour in the area or that the petrol station would cause it, with the police raising no objections. “It will remain a quiet village – there is no reason for that to change,” he said.

Mr Samy said that the business is run professionally with the Challenge 25 alcohol policy in place and that he didn’t want ‘troublemakers’ coming to the store.

His company would contact a neighbour who complained about light pollution from the filling station’s canopy to solve any perceived problem.

The licensing committee granted the changes, believing that they would not undermine the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety and protection of children from harm licensing objectives.

Members considered that the applicant had taken steps to ensure that the licensing aspects of the business would be run properly. The extension of opening hours to 24/7 was not a licensing matter.