By Tevye Markson, Local Democracy Reporter

A POST office will return to the community after a convenience store was forced to hand over its licence due to immigration concerns.

The shop, on Whitley Street, will be re-branded as Jeevika Store and the owner intends to bring back the post office, which closed after the store lost its licence to sell alcohol in January 2018 for employing illegal workers.

A hearing was held by Reading Borough Council's (RBC) licensing sub-committee on Thursday evening, after council officers and Thames Valley Police said the new application had changed 'in name only.'

However, the applicant and his representative, Surendra Panchal, convinced the sub-committee that this was a new application capable of meeting the licensing objectives.

Councillor Debs Edwards, chair of the meeting, said: "We are expecting big things. We wish you every success but if you step over the line you will be back here.”

A premises licence for Jeevika Store was granted, but only on the basis that the owner complies with a series of regulations, including not to sell single cans of alcohol.

New owner, Pajmeet Singh Kalra, who came to the UK as an asylum seeker, said he was 'blessed' by the decision and looking forward to building the business for the benefit of the community.

Nepalese restaurant Momo House, which lost its license after illegal workers fled during a search in July 2017, was unsuccessful in its premises application.

The council revoked the licence three months later, after the licence holder refused to attend the hearing.

The Nepalese restaurant, then called Himalaya Momo House, was found to have made seven breaches and had been selling alcohol illegally for more than two years.

Unlike Mr. Kalra, Momo House owner, Thir Bahadir Gurung, did not have professional representation and struggled to present his case.

Cllr Edwards concluded that ownership of the restaurant was unclear, based on a July 21 visit by RBC officers and that Mr Gurung lacked experience and understanding of licensing.