A newsagent near Wembley Stadium was denied an alcohol licence as part of Brent Council’s plans to curb crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Its licensing committee rejected the application by Nishco Food and Wine, in Harrow Road, Wembley, after it failed to show it would go “above and beyond” to combat issues associated with street drinking.

The committee was concerned that, if approved, this would be the eighth off-licence in the vicinity, alongside three pubs and bars.

Brent Council licensing officers said there was “nothing niche or unique” about this premises compared to the others in the area, despite a late suggestion it would cater for the Sri Lankan community.

They said the applicant, Nishanthan Jebaranjan, had not followed the statement of licensing policy and had simply added vague conditions to try and secure approval.

Gary Norton, a licensing officer at the Metropolitan Police, said it looked like a case of “putting profit above common sense”.

“Street drinking in this area is a particular problem – is there a need to provide more opportunities for alcohol sales,” he said.

He added that the application “isn’t up to the standard needed to alleviate the concerns”.

And he said it would be particularly difficult to support given that the shop falls in the “event day footprint” at the stadium, which creates further issues around drinking and the drain on police resources.

Suresh Kanapathi, acting as Mr Jebaranjan’s agent, explained that his client is an experienced businessman who runs a small business that “would not contribute to problems” in the area.

He repeated the idea that the shop would mainly be used by people looking to buy Sri Lankan goods – not those searching out single cans of high strength beer, which would not be stocked.

However, the committee was not convinced and refused the application.