A CAFE in Leigh will now be able to sell alcohol to its customers after it was granted a licence by Southend Council.

Owners of the Corner Club in Leigh, Jack Morris and Pheobe Parry, applied to the council to sell alcohol back in September.

During a Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on Monday, the pair were granted a licence to sell alcohol on the premises.

Delighted with the result, Mr Morris said: “I am a pretty good chef and I want to serve good food with alcohol.”

The licence did receive some opposition, with two objections to the application being submitted.

Mr Morris wants to assure the people of Leigh that his cafe will not be a problem.

He said: “It’s by no means going to be an establishment that is going to cause any issues.

“We have spoken to residents and we want to make sure that everybody is happy.”

Councillor Bernard Ascott said he had not heard any complaints from residents about the licence but added he had noticed that more establishments were beginning to sell alcohol.

He said: “There has been a longstanding history of residents being concerned over the proliferation of establishments obtaining licences to sell alcohol.

“But, that said, I have not heard of any objections from residents about this particular cafe.”

Although the Corner Club, which is located on the corner of the Broadway and Victoria Road, now has permission to sell alcohol on its premises, Mr Morris said that they probably will not start doing so until the new year.

This licence means that the cafe can now sell alcohol with a meal between 10am and 8pm Monday to Wednesday, and between 10am and 11pm for the remainder of the week.

The cafe were also expected to meet two additional conditions in order for them to be granted this licence.

They are expected to display clear signs instructing diners to be respectful when leaving the premises and keep the noise down.

They are also expected to restrict the use of the side door into Victoria Road only to times when the outside seating area is open - unless people want to use the toilet or go for a cigarette.