Village football club granted late alcohol licence

A Somerset football club can sell alcohol and hold events until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday nights after a new licence was granted.

Street Football Club, which was founded in 1880, currently plays its home games at the Tannery Grounds on Middle Brooks in Street, with its men's first team competing in the Toolstation Western League Premier Division.

Despite nearly a dozen objections from local residents, the council's licensing sub-committee east voted to grant the new licence after receiving assurances from both the club and the police, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Under the new licence, the club will be able to sell alcohol for consumption on and off the premises from 9am daily until midnight from Monday to Thursday, until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and until 01:00 on Sundays.

The club will also be able to play live or recorded music until 01:00 daily (both indoors and outdoors), and can offer late night refreshment until the same time daily, with an extension until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Under conditions agreed with local police, events involving live or recorded music until 02:00 can only be staged a maximum of 15 times per year, and must be advertised to the police and public within at least 10 working days of each individual event.

Numerous local residents lodged formal objections to the plans ahead of the licensing hearing, which took place in Shepton Mallet on 12 April, while others objected on grounds such as the licence running too late into the night, disruption, and noise.

Joanne Stimpson, a director at the football club, said: "We want to make sure that the club is as accessible as it can be, and it’s not just restricted to our members and members of travelling teams.

“We now have gym clubs and a lot of young people playing up there during the day, and we use evening entertainment as a means of generating income - we don’t expect anything to change in that respect."

Ms Stimpson clarified live music would only be provided outside of the club house on three occasion, and a temporary events licence would be applied for to ensure these events were properly regulated.