Farm shop owner denies villagers' 'mini-Glastonbury lies and rumours' as booze and live music licence granted

A rural farm shop and cafe has been granted a licence to sell alcohol and play live music outdoors until 11pm after the owners denied villagers’ “lies and rumours” that it would hold raves and become a “mini-Glastonbury”. South Gloucestershire councillors approved the application for Golden Valley Farm Shop in Bitton despite 52 objections from neighbours and the parish council because of noise, traffic safety and threats to wildlife.

Applicant Charlotte House told the licensing sub-committee on Thursday, April 18: “We’re a family, we live on site. We don’t want to be a rave, we’re not going to be a Glastonbury, we’ve got no intention to be Avon Valley (Country Park). Avon Valley are 110 acres, Glastonbury are 900 acres.

“Whoever set these rumours up in the village is unbelievable. We’re talking about two acres of land we’re going to use very rarely.

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“There have been so many rumours and lies spread about what we would like to do.” She said the intention was to hold a couple of wedding receptions a year in the evening outside the cafe and that they needed a premises licence for the certainty of booking the events.

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Miss House said more than 100 people had signed a petition in support of the application and that the plan was for the venue to become a community hub, holding events such as pottery classes and flower arranging, as well as private parties. The panel heard the shop would not extend its current opening hours of 9am to 4pm and that it was not in competition with local pubs or the village store as it would sell specialised drinks from local suppliers which are not on sale nearby, while cafe diners could enjoy a drink with their meal.

Ward Cllr Erica Williams (Conservative, Bitton & Oldland Common) told the meeting: “This enterprise in its current form has proved to be a very good community asset but the application today has caused a lot of concern and raised many objections. Our residents already experience the noise from the Fear Night at Avon Valley Country Park and the annual music festival at The Swan at Swineford.

“The noise will be carried all around the valley.” She said Bitton Parish Council introduced a Quiet Lanes scheme many years ago, including Golden Valley Lane where the farm shop is, to protect the character and tranquillity of the area and improve safety for residents and wildlife.

Cllr Williams said: “If this application is approved, it would not only compromise this scheme but the increase in traffic at all times of the night will be a serious issue on these narrow country lanes. Our concern is that will this morph into some sort of mini-Glastonbury which will be totally out of character for a beautiful valley?”

Several residents attended the meeting to voice their opposition, saying the shop and cafe was a “community asset” as it was and should not extend its operations. One woman told councillors: “This application would transform the daytime Golden Valley cafe into another open-all-hours bar and events venue.

“This licence would allow music to be played and alcohol to be sold all day, every day, all year round, forever. This is just too much and not acceptable to the community.”

She said holding a maximum of two outdoor music events a month – a condition Miss House agreed with the police before the hearing – was still not acceptable and would cause a “huge public nuisance”. Another neighbour said the lane was unlit and used as a rat run.

She said: “You get idiots driving along that lane at the best of times. It’s downright dangerous to walk down there when you’ve got the boy racers.”

Senior licensing officer Emma Pain said the Live Music Act permitted live and recorded music both indoors and outdoors until 11pm seven days a week, so the applicants could do that anyway without a premises licence. She said there were no objections from any of the authorities, including the police, highways, planning, streetcare, environmental health, trading standards and the fire service, so “they probably don‘t have facts and figures that suggest this could cause a major accident or that there is an access issue”.

Announcing the decision, sub-committee chairman Cllr Ron Hardie (Labour, Emersons Green) said the panel concluded the proposed activities would have an impact on public nuisance and public safety because of noise and increased traffic. However, the sub-committee did consider that a reduction in operating hours and the restriction to indoor and outdoor music would mitigate the concerns raised in the representations,” he said.

The licence was granted for live music both indoors and outdoors from midday to 11pm from Wednesday to Sunday. Recorded music will be allowed inside and outside from 9am to 11pm from Monday to Saturday and 9am to 9pm on Sunday.

The 11pm finish on Fridays and Saturdays for both live and recorded music is an hour earlier than applied for. Alcohol sales are 9pm to 11pm Monday to Saturday and 9pm to 10pm on Sunday.

Miss House had applied for last orders to be midnight from Thursday to Saturday. She accepted the panel’s request not to hold any events during the local toad population’s migration season in the first three weeks of March.