Decision on salon licence set to be made

Customers buying wine from a hair salon could become victims of crime, a licensing panel heard during a hearing today (Tuesday 2 December).

Sussex Police shared concerns about high levels of violent crime in the Gloucester Road area of Brighton when opposing Shine hair salon’s bid for an alcohol licence.

The application to Brighton and Hove City Council is for alcohol sales 10am to 6pm Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and 10am to 8pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Wine would be sold by the glass and in sealed bottles to take away by members of the proposed Shine wine club, business owner Jonathan Harries explained.

Force licensing officer Hannah Staplehust told the panel of three councillors – John Hewitt, Ivan Lyons and Alison Thomson – that Gloucester Road and the surrounding streets were affected by violent crime during daytime hours, which would impact on Shine’s customers, particularly if they had wine.

In the last year, from 31 October 2024, Sussex Police had recorded 280 crimes in the immediate area, 93 were for violence against the person and 74 were thefts, 32 public order offences and 10 sex offences.

Of these crimes 149 occured between 11am and 8pm.

The North Laine is within the city centre area where council licensing policy opposes new off-licences unless the operator can show exceptional circumstances to break with policy.

Ms Staplehurst said: “Currently we do not believe the applicant has gone far enough to evidence why their application would be an exception to policy, or how it mitigates the risk of off-sales and providing a greater availability of alcohol within this area.”

She asked the panel to consider proposed conditions from Sussex Police should they be minded to grant the licence.

Draft conditions included no external advertising of alcohol sales, limiting alcohol to wines including sparkling wines such as champagne, cava and prosecco, and limit sales to customers purchasing hair treatments.

Council licensing official Sarah Cornell said there are concerns about the impact of more alcohol sales on crime in the area.

She asked the panel to consider whether Shine has shown exceptional circumstances enough to receive of an off-sales licence.

West Hill and North Laine councillor Sue Shanks said there are a large number of licensed businesses in the area and community groups have raised concerns with her about another.

Councillor Shanks said: “It seems to me this is changing a business from being a hairdressers to selling wine.

“If you want to set up a business selling wine, that seems fair to me, but to lead it with having your hair cut?”

“What he (Mr Harries) is wanting to do is sell bottles of wine for people to take home, where they could go into a wine shop, which we’ve already got enough of.”

Shine’s owner Mr Harries, 56, has been trading from the Gloucester Road site for 18 years, wanted to offer his customers something different after reading about a similar enterprise at a London salon.

Mr Harries said the health and beauty industry is in a “terrible state” and receiving government intervention.

He said: “To try an offer and set yourself apart is something you continually have to do.

“Bringing in something like wine, which I know my clients will leave and buy a bottle somewhere else if they don’t buy it from me, felt like a sensible thing to try and add into the business.”

Wine club members would sign up and wine would not be available to “walk ins” off the street.

The panel retired to make its decision which should be made public within five working days.