Council to decide on controversial vineyard tours

A plan by a vineyard to run tours and sell wine will be decided by councillors following a raft of objections.

The Bay Vineyard, at Robin Hood’s Bay, applied for a licence to organise tours with wine tastings and to sell wine to visitors.

However, the plan was met with dozens of objections about noise disturbance and the impact on local roads.

North Yorkshire Council’s licensing sub-committee is due to decide on the application at a meeting on Thursday.

Bay Vineyard, which grows red and white English grape varieties, was set up at Greenhills Farm as a diversification project, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Rebecca and Ian Sheveling’s application has sought permission for vineyard tours and the sale of alcohol seven days a week from 09:00 to 23:00 as well as permitting the playing of live and recorded music.

However, dozens of residents and visitors have raised concerns it would have a “detrimental impact on the area”.

One of the objectors, Richard Foreman, asked: “Will I, and other local residents, have the enjoyment of our property significantly reduced because if we sit outside we will be subjected to the public nuisance of the additional noise? This is unacceptable.”

No objections have been made by the North York Moors National Park Authority and several letters of support were also sent to the council.

Resident Lindsey Broughton said she was in favour of the plan because “it would be wonderful to buy a bottle of wine directly from the very place that the grapes were grown”.

The licensing sub-committee is due to be held at Scarborough Town Hall.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.