Couple grilled on off-licence plans

They then waited another 20 minutes while the three-member panel deliberated in private.

Eight neighbours had lodged objections with Rother District Council. They said the area was already prone to noise, disturbance, crime and vandalism and said an off-licence would make this worse.

In particular, they were worried that it would worsen the problems they are already suffering from youngsters congregating in the bus shelter opposite the proposed off-licence.

Applicants Darren and Graham Brabner, who already run Kerry's Wine Bar at the Sea Road-Marina junction, said they were mindful of the need to protect their licence.

They explained how they planned to have two CCTV cameras in the off-licence and a third outside.

Graham Brabner said he lived nearby and from his office he would have a clear line-of-sight of the front of the off-licence.

Mr Brabner told the panel: "Since Unwins closed in Sackville Road there is no proper off-licence in this area."

He said there was a market for an off-licence in Terminus Road and, stocking a similar range of wines to those offered at the wine bar, they hoped to encourage the public to sample a wider range than available elsewhere.