Nine Oaks Vineyard in Kent is seeking to allay concerns of local residents after facing opposition to its new licence to hold wine tastings, with villagers arguing that nearby mourners could be disturbed. db finds out more. “Change to a small village is often not seen as positive,” the co-founder of Nine Oaks Vineyard told db, following opposition from local residents claiming nearby mourners will be disturbed by its wine tasting events. Helen Matheson-Pollock told the drinks business that she and her husband, who own the three-hectare site, are hoping to allay the concerns of local residents who have voiced their opposition to the business’s licence to host events. “We want to put any controversy around this situation to rest,” she said. “We were unsettled by the level of complaints. They do come from just a small pockets of the village, but clearly they feel very strongly, so we want to do what we can to allay those concerns.” Residents in Hothfield opposed Nine Oaks Vineyard’s bid to obtain a premises licence to sell alcohol, which will allow the site to hold wine tastings and events. Thirteen letters of objection were sent to local authority Ashford Borough Council from immediate neighbours. Nine Oaks Vineyard’s original licence application covered the hours of 10am to 10pm, seven days a week. Matheson-Pollock described these operating hours as “the absolute maximum which we would ever need”. She explained that a licence of this scope would cover the business for “any eventuality”, but stressed that “it was
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
