Public hearing into licence application for Sutton Poyntz

Drunkenness, vandalism, urinating in gardens and the village pond, abandoned drug paraphernalia, road rage, children in danger from traffic, shouting and even a fight all featured in evidence to a licensing hearing.

The upset has been caused by an application for a separate Premises Licence for land adjoining the Springhead Pub by Blue Welly Events to run weddings, the annual Dog, Sausage and Cider Festival and Ska music events, with the potential for other events as well.

Stephen Bown of Blue Welly Events Limited said he wanted the licence, separate from the pub, to allow more flexibility and control in organising events and to allow a bar to be set up in the field, rather than under existing licence conditions, in the pub grounds.

Premises Licence applicant Stephen Bown, his partner and her sister who are all involved with the Springhead Pub (Image: Dorset Council)

He, his partner and her sister currently all work at the Springhead.

“We’re busy as it is. We don’t want to do more events – let alone 179 more,” said Mr Bown, who, in his closing remarks to a licensing panel, said he could agree to conditions limiting the number of events if the licence was to be approved.

READ MORE: 'Objectors hit out at unthinkable invasion of village'

Several residents claimed that effectively having two Premise Licences in place could result in two events businesses operating in the village, with events spread over five months of the year up until 11pm, some with up to a thousand people, or more and the potential for events on every day over a five month period.

All agreed the family behind the pub stick to their licensing conditions; that music stops when it should and that complaints about the volume lead to it being turned down – but several listed anti-social behaviour from people said to be coming from the pub late at night, together with roads being blocked by traffic when big events are taking place at the Springhead.

Several told Dorset councillors hearing the licence application that on the day of big events they are resigned to being ‘trapped’ in their homes because of the traffic for six hours at a time.

But the application also had supporters who spoke of the pleasant and polite family behind the pub and events business, who live in the village and care about their neighbours, complying with any licensing conditions.

Several of the objectors told the hearing that while they supported the current level of events and backed the pub, it was the potential to hold more events, attracting more people and more disturbance, which worried them.

Objectors from Sutton Poyntz including Paul Cherry, top right (Image: Dorset Council)

The meeting heard that although there were complaints about traffic and bad behaviour in the village neither was part of the licence process – a situation which one objector, Mr Paul Cherry, said defied all logic.

Describing the pub as an asset to the village he told councillors: “I find some of the events already intrusive… we do have major concerns about it becoming an events venue.”

Mr Cherry said he found it amazing that the council’s environmental health team had not commented on the application and there had been no official concern about blocked roads which might affect blue light emergency access.

“There have been times when the traffic is backed up to Chalbury Corner.. there has been damage to cars, items thrown into gardens, people urinating in the pond and gardens as well as swearing and road rage…

“I can’t believe the option to play music on six days of the week, up to 11pm, is not a public nuisance. This is a tranquil village which is why so many people move here,” he said.

Dorset Police has not objected to the proposal although suggest that only up to four ticketed event are held each year, between March and the end of September, with all events over 300 by ticket only, with neighbouring residents notified at least two weeks in advance.

Mr Bown repeated to the hearing, several times, that there was no intention to run more events above beyond the two festival events each year and weddings, although said that small-scale events and comedy nights might be tried out in a marquee in the field, rather than the pub – placing them further away from homes.

Councillors sitting on the panel will announce their decision on the Premises Licence for Blue Welly Events and any conditions on it within five working days.