Asda have won the right to sell alcohol from a new Stoke-on-Trent store despite opposition from a parliamentary candidate.

A new Asda Express shop is currently under construction at the corner of Stoke Road and Station Road in Shelton, on the former site of CMC Motorcycles.

The new store will be able to sell alcohol between 6am and midnight, seven days a week and would be open 24 hours a day. However, the application received two objections, with fears of an increase in anti-social behaviour and crime.

Navid Kaleem, who is standing in the upcoming parliamentary elections for Stoke-on-Trent Central and was representing one of the objectors told the licensing committee: "We don't have anything against Asda, we actually want Asda to come. It's going to uplift the area, we're very happy with that.

"What we have a problem with is Stoke is a bit unusual, people don't understand Stoke from the outside, it's only people from Stoke who understand what Stoke is."

The site was previously home to CMC Motorcycles (Google).

Mr Kaleem then produced a bundle of documents with news reports and crime figures to give to the committee. Despite 166 crimes being reported in March this year Staffordshire Police did not object to the application.

"Bringing cheap, easily accessible alcohol is going to make crime in our area worse. We want people to live in a good way, we want our city to improve and we've been neglected for far too long and that's our concern, people from outside they don't understand that, they think ok we are living in nice areas, you guys can live in dumps.

"So this is our concern, it's going to increase crime and disorder, it's going to affect public safety, it's going to be a nuisance for the residents who live around the area."

The new store represents a £750,000 investment to the area and will create between 25 and 30 new jobs. Representatives from Asda told the licensing committee at Stoke-on-Trent City Council that the area currently has a retail undersupply and no responsible authority objected to the new store.

Richard Taylor, Solicitor for Asda outlined the measures Asda will take to meet the licensing objectives, which include challenge 25, till prompts and independent test purchasing. He said: "Full staff training; CCTV; incidents and refusals log; in a convenience store spirits and high value items are all behind the counter; we don't sell miniatures; we don't sell in the convenience stores the sort of products that would appeal to street drinking or problem drinking.

"There are no representations from any of the responsible authorities. We have representations saying crime and antisocial behaviour but the police have no problem with the application."

The licensing committee at Stoke-on-Trent City Council after looking at the evidence and listening to the statements by both the applicant and the objector decided to grant the new premises licence.

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