A Birkdale wine shop wants on sales to 11.30pm, an Eastbank Street store wants 6am off sales, and Zia Pizza seeks a licence. Deadlines 11, 15 and 22 September.

Three Southport businesses are asking Sefton Council for new or longer alcohol licences, and each has its own deadline for public comment this month.

The three applications, taken from the council’s licensing notices page and the statutory notices published in print:

Premises What is sought Comments close
The Wine Rack, 7-8 Weld Parade, Birkdale New licence: alcohol 8am to 11.30pm daily 11 September
The Baltic Food Store, 45-47 Eastbank Street Variation: off sales 6am to midnight daily 15 September
Zia Pizza, 59-61 London Street New licence: alcohol from noon daily 22 September

Birkdale: the Wine Rack wants on sales as well as off

JSM Birkdale Ltd has applied for a premises licence for The Wine Rack at 7 and 8 Weld Parade, Birkdale, PR8 2DT. The published application (Sefton Council notice) asks for:

  • opening hours of 8am to midnight, seven days a week
  • the sale of alcohol from 8am to 11.30pm, seven days a week
  • late night refreshment from 11pm to midnight, seven days a week

The newspaper notice, published on 20 August, spells out a detail the council’s own summary does not: the application covers both on and off sales. If granted as asked, the premises could serve alcohol to drink there as well as sell it to take away, until 11.30pm every night.

The applicant, JSM Birkdale Ltd, was incorporated in October 2023 and is registered as a general retailer. The application was submitted through the agent Licensing Matters Ltd. Representations must reach the council in writing by 11 September 2026.

Eastbank Street: alcohol from 6am at the Baltic Food Store

Kamaran Tofiq Karim has applied to vary the premises licence for The Baltic Food Store, 45-47 Eastbank Street, PR8 1DY (notice published 27 August). The variation sought is one line: the retail sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises, 6am to midnight, Monday to Sunday.

Representations close on 15 September 2026. This application appears in the printed statutory notice; it was not yet listed on the council’s public notices web page when we checked on 1 September.

Eastbank Street has been in our reporting for happier reasons too: Gourmet House at number 85 was among the venues rated 5 for food hygiene in August.

London Street: Zia Pizza applies for a first licence

Unity Quad Limited has applied for a premises licence for Zia Pizza, 59-61 London Street, PR9 0TH (Sefton Council notice). The hours sought are the most modest of the three:

  • alcohol sales from noon to 10pm Monday to Thursday
  • noon to 11pm on Friday and Saturday
  • noon to 9pm on Sunday

The applicant, Unity Quad Limited, is a Southport company incorporated in February 2026, registered at Blowick Moss Lane. Representations close on 22 September 2026.

A fourth application on the council’s page, JD Wetherspoon’s for 93-97 Lord Street, passed its comment deadline in August; that is the Sir Henry Segrave hotel plan we reported on previously.

What it means for you

Anyone can comment on a licence application, but only representations about the four licensing objectives count: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. General objections to more licensed premises are not valid grounds.

  • Representations must be in writing, to: Licensing Unit, Sefton MBC, Magdalen House, 30 Trinity Road, Bootle, L20 3NJ.
  • The Wine Rack notice also gives the licensing team’s contact details for enquiries: 0345 140 0845 or licensing@sefton.gov.uk.
  • Each application can be inspected in person at Magdalen House, weekdays 9am to 3pm, by appointment.
  • The deadlines are 11 September (Wine Rack), 15 September (Baltic Food Store) and 22 September (Zia Pizza).

If representations are made, the application goes before a licensing sub-committee for a hearing; if none are made, the council must grant it as applied for.

Sources

Applications and hearing dates can change; the council’s public notices page carries the current list.