Bohemia Village Voice

Will Bohemia get back its post office? Maybe, if Mr Masood Iqbal gets his way. Mr Iqbal has recently bought 68/70, Bohemia Road, previously run as Lullabuys pram shop, and whose application for an off-licence to sell alcohol has run into local opposition.
  “I would like to open a post office there,” says Masood Iqbal, “but I’m worried that I’d waste a lot of time and money applying for a licence, and then be refused.” He speaks from bitter experience, and recalls his previous application for a  licence, about ten years ago, when he owned Mary’s Foodmarket, which operated from the current Alldays site. At that time, the existing post office was “suspended because it didn’t open at the required times,” says Mr Iqbal.
  “So I applied for a licence and spent a lot of money, about £2,000, having architect’s drawings prepared, showing the exact layout of the counter and the positions of the windows, and so on, and I spent a lot of time on the application.” So, what happened? “I didn’t get the licence – it was given to someone from Rye, who already had a post office and who had applied to run the suspended one at number 69, Bohemia Road. They took over the tenancy. I wasted a lot of money on the project.”
  How easy would it be to have a post office in his Bohemia Foodmarket? “It would be a lot easier to run than having the post office in a separate building, for instance, if someone were ill, I could supervise the office counter, and move staff around.”
  So, is Mr Iqbal going to apply for a licence? “No, I’m not, but if I were approached by the Post Office authorities to open one, I would probably say yes.”
  How is the shop coming along? “I thought the fitting out was going to cost about £60,000, but it looks like it’ll be nearer £100,000 before it’s finished.” And the application for an off-licence? “I’m not bothered if I don’t get it. There are a lot of other things to sell in the supermarket. I won’t know if the off-licence application is successful until October. I have to appear before the licensing board to speak about the objections that have been raised. The law governing the issuing of licences has changed a lot since 2003. Now it is much easier to take away a licence and suspend a shop from trading.”
  Will he be selling fresh vegetables and fruit? “A lot of people say they want such things, but if they are provided, they’ll probably still go elsewhere to spend their money. So I’m not sure if I’ll be selling fresh produce.”
“ Mr Masood Iqbal, Bohemia Foodmarket, 68/70, Bohemia Rd.