Licence For Wine Distribution At Blackdown Park Granted

Wednesday, 26 May 2021 06:00

By Karen Dunn - Local Democracy Reporter

Chichester District Council has granted a premises licence to allow wine to be stored and distributed from a barn in Lurgashall.

The decision will allow applicant Weybourne Ltd to store wine at Blackdown Park, Fernden Lane, and set up a website to sell it online.

During a meeting of the council’s Alcohol & Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee, the licence was granted on condition that sales would be delivery only, with no collection at the premises, and delivery times would be restricted to 8am-6pm every day.

There were 26 letters of objection to the application, including one from Sussex Police and one from Fernhurst Parish Council.

Weybourne Ltd agreed to conditions laid down by the police which centred around only selling and delivering to customers aged over 18 – and verifying their age.

Objections shared by members of the public at a meeting on May 21, included fears the company planned to give tours of the facility, that people would simply show up to buy wine, that the site was not appropriate – especially if delivery lorries would be going back and forth – that the narrow line would being damaged and that there would be road safety problems.

There were also concerns from some residents that the barn would be used to store tens of thousands of bottles of wine.

But Hayley Beard, representing the applicant, assured the meeting that the amount of bottles produced would be small ‘for the foreseeable future’ – fewer than 4,500 this year and 2,500 next year.

A number of issues raised were actually planning matters so were not part of the committee’s remit.

But as concerns from public speakers rumbled on, Ms Beard confirmed that an application had been submitted to change the use of the barn.

She said:

“Everything that will be done will be done the right way and that’s why we’re applying for this licence.”

As for the concerns that customers would show up at the site, she added: “It’s not going to be a case of 30 or 40 people coming to the vineyard and having a shop – we don’t want to have a shop.

“All we need is the licence to be able to sell [on the website].”

Ms Beard also said that no tours were planned and that the fire & rescue service had been contacted regarding a fire risk assessment.

The premises licence will come into effect on June 3.