Licence granted to boutique wine producer hoping to expand business

A boutique vineyard in North Devon that wants to open a restaurant has been granted a premises licence to allow it to sell alcohol all year round.

Owner of Saunton Vineyard Matthew Fleetham, who bought agricultural land at Broad Lane, Braunton in 2018 and turned it into a vineyard, will be able to sell alcohol from 9am to 8pm Mondays through Sundays.

He had asked for the licence to run until 11.30pm but North Devon Council’s licensing and community safety sub committee decided the sale of alcohol should end earlier and a one-hour dispersal time be given until 9pm because of concerns over public nuisance and public safety on narrow approach roads.

The commercial vineyard, which runs tours and tasting sessions and is a mile from the North Devon coast, has been operating under temporary events notices, which also allows it to sell and serve alcohol and hold events for no more than 28 days of the year.

The premises licence means it can operate all year.

Council officers said the applicant would need to submit a formal planning application for a change of use from agricultural land to commercial use if the tours and tasting weren’t ancillary to the pure agricultural use of the land.

They raised some concerns over the use of a horse box as a cafe, which did not have planning permission.

Members heard that Mr Fleetham had no plans to provide entertainment on site, although he was permitted to under the licence, but wished to increase the sale of his wine on and off site to make his business viable.

He said producing 4,000 bottles a year would make enough money to sustain himself and his three sons. He hoped to sell 2,000 to 2,500 bottles at the vineyard and the rest off-site.

He wanted licensing hours to run until 10.30pm hours as he wanted to open a restaurant in a barn.  People on wine tours often want to stay to enjoy a drink, but outside seating limits how long people can stay.

People would not be drinking at 9am but it would allow for sales from the shop and delicatessen. The site also offers wild camping.

Mr Fleetham doesn’t expect to operate his business outside the April to September holiday period.

The committee heard of complaints in recent months in respect of a number of applications to grant, or vary premises licences in the rural and coastal areas.

This application is for an open air location without substantial acoustically insulated premises, near a national landscape, and in an area with low background noise and artificial light levels.

Local residents who opposed the application said they felt extensive licensing hours would make way for further development of social or catering activities on the rural land, and it would be a material change from a quiet farmers field containing sheep five years ago to potentially a busy commercial enterprise.

Another said there is a lack of facilities for customers, including buildings, toilets, electricity, drainage, parking and also the necessary road infrastructure to support a business.

“If facilities were intended to be provided, we would expect to see applications for building and change of use, but we have seen neither and it is unlikely that these would be approved,” they said.