Neighbours and police have spoken out about plans by the Co-op to sell alcohol at a new store while a bigger nearby branch is redeveloped.

The Co-op has applied for a premises licence for its new store in the former Maplin shop in London Road, Brighton.

But the shop is in Brighton and Hove City Council’s “special stress area” where drink-related crime, nuisance and antisocial behaviour have led to tighter licensing rules.

A council licensing panel sat to consider the Co-op’s application.

It was told the Co-op had reduced the proposed hours after talks with Sussex Police and the council licensing department.

Instead of 6am to 11pm, the Co-op wanted drink to be on sale from 7am to 10pm.

It also agreed to limit the strength of beer and cider on sale, except for craft beer and speciality drinks from micro-breweries.

Sussex Police said there were 40 reported crimes, ranging from drugs, robbery and theft to violent crimes in the London Road area last year.

Police licensing officer Hannah Staplehurst said there were 32 incidents of antisocial behaviour in the past two months at The Level, where officers carry out additional patrols.

She said the force had been using extra government funding for Operation Safety to deal with serious violence and weapons at The Level.

She said: “Shoplifted alcohol is taken to The Level to be consumed and shared with others.

“Recently, we arrested two drunk 15-year-old girls at The Level for assaulting police officers doing their job on patrol under Operation Safety.”

Panel member Councillor Theresa Fowler said she worked near a Co-op branch and often saw shoplifters run past with the cheaper alcohol which did not have security tags.

Sussex Police barrister Edward Elton said the council’s policy assumption was to refuse applications for new off-licences in the special stress area. He said there were no exceptional circumstances to justify granting the Co-op a licence to sell alcohol at the old Maplins.

Mr Elton said: “This is a place where there are problems with alcohol.

“It is just common sense that increasing the number of doors through which alcohol can go, bought, stolen or otherwise, is, in capital letters, a bad thing.”

Green Councillor Pete West, who represents the St Peter’s and North Laine electoral ward, could not see any exceptional reasons to justify allowing a new licence in the special stress area.

He said the area faced numerous issues related to alcohol and antisocial behaviour at The Level, in Providence Place and Elder Place.

Cllr West said: “It would be an absolute travesty if this application were to be granted. It would really damage the integrity of the policy and impact very heavily on a very challenged area of London Road.”

He said chipping hours off the side would not make a difference to problems with street drinking and alcohol-related crime.

Judi Lynn, on behalf of the London Road Area Local Action Team which represents residents and businesses in the area, said its concerns included the levels of crime and disorder, worries about public safety and protection of children.

She said: “As evidenced by the police, there are a lot of problems and a lot of places where you can buy alcohol.”

Richard Arnot, for the Co-op, said it was losing 8,000 square foot of retail space in the area because of the rebuild of its much larger store in London Road.

The company had a licence for the rebuilt shop, he said, but wanted to open at the other end of the road while offering the same selection of products offered in all its stores.

The panel’s decision will be made public shortly.