The application by Ludlow Rugby Club Limited is to licence the building and surrounding grounds for events from 7am to 2am seven days a week and be permitted to supply alcohol from 8am to 1am. It wants to serve hot food and hot drink from 11pm to 1am (a licence for this normally required). The application suggests alcohol and hot food and drink will be served “almost daily”.
The application also seeks permission for:
“Regulated entertainment for both indoors and outdoors consists of plays, films, indoor sporting, live music, recorded music, performance of dance and anything similar to live, recorded music or dance.”
This application is already causing residents of Linney and Cliffe Park. Residents of Linney are concerned about noise, especially late at night, and increased traffic throughout the day. The Cliffe Park residents I have heard from so far are principally concerned about noise.
This is a licencing application and the rules for comments are much stricter than for planning applications. Representations must address the four licencing objectives:
- the prevention of harm to children
- to prevent public nuisance
- to prevent crime & disorder
- public safety.
There is also an opportunity for open comment on the form or on attached sheets.
The link to the representation form on the Shropshire Council website is currently broken but you can get the form here.
Comments must be submitted by 18 January to licensing@shropshire.gov.uk. Unlike planning applications, there is no leeway on this date.
That’s the formalities. Now some comment.
As far as I can see, Ludlow Rugby Club has not made any public comment on this proposal so we don’t know what the club has in mind. Regardless of what it is planning, whether it is half a dozen big events a year or 365 days opening of the bar from 8:00am to 1:00am, a blanket application like this is inappropriate for the location. This is the type of application that would be submitted for a city centre pub, not a small rugby club in a residential conservation area. I have no choice but to oppose this application because it is inappropriate for the location. It would be better if the club withdrew the current application and arranged to explain to the local community and councillors what it has in mind. Then an application could be tailored to its needs.
I will the rugby club no ill will and neither do I wish any problems on the Ludlow Spring Festival which is to be held at Ludlow Rugby Club from 13-14 May 2023. I don’t know why the festival has moved out of the castle. It has always been a feature of the Ludlow food festivals that they have been held within one of the finest castles in England. That has added to their attraction. The castle offers some protection from the weather, though not always as we saw with the destruction of the Medieval Fayre by Storm Arwen. There will less protection at the rugby club, which regularly floods.
Traffic is already a significant issue on Linney and Dinham. The roads are unsuitable for much busy traffic, especially heavy traffic. Neither road can easily accommodate coaches though minibuses might work. There is limited parking at the Rugby Club, so how to people get to the Spring Festival? The clubhouse is an 800 metre walk from the top deck of the Galdeford car park and 700 metre walk for the smaller Castle Street car park. And those walks involve going down the steep Upper Linney.
I have asked the organisers of the Spring Festival what their travel management plans are but do not yet have a response.
The other matter that concerns me is the relocation of festivals away from the town centre. That will reduce footfall in our market area, including market and other independent traders.
There is also the issue of noise. Noise in the castle is partly contained by the bailey walls, though concerts can be heard clearly on the Whitcliffe and in other parts of the town. But on the flatter ground of the floodplain on which the rugby club is located, noise will have a major impact on residents on Linney and across the river on Cliffe.
I will oppose the rugby club licence. It is inappropriate for the location. The club needs to explain its plans and work with the community on a new application.
While it is brilliant for Ludlow to add a venue for entertainment and classes as young people don’t have many choices, this venue seems absurd. How did the Spring Festival get moved to here? It seems like a toe in the door for further changes that negatively impact the town and market businesses. I’m sorry that the festival has moved as it’s quite a long walk for me from Temeside. The noise impact will probably be unpleasant for those all the way along the Linney as well as the echo effect across the flat to Burway Lane. Moreover, the access along those streets is prohibitive at the best of times. Does the Tennis Club have any say in this?
I suspect the Spring Festival has moved for various reasons – perhaps the Castle simply overcharged, thinking the festival organisers had no option but to pay up, perhaps the restrictions and insurance issues about holding such an event in a grade 1 listed building were too onerous. Also the venue of the castle was the food festival’s USP – if held at the rugby club it is little different to many other such festivals. I suspect the Spring Festival will cause huge traffic and access problems and could easily turn into a mudbath if the weather is unkind.
Regarding the licence application itself, I think Andy’s points are well made. The rugby club’s short and long term intentions with this application are simply too vague.
Why, Andy, are you saying that the Spring Festival IS TO BE HELD at the Rugby Club. No licence has yet been granted and at the recent meeting at the bowls/tennis club it was stated that this is not a fair accompli ? No one wants to lose the Spring Festival but for it to be at the Rugby Club is not good for the nearby residents nor the town and indeed for the Festival itself. I am told the Castle is always expensive- how much more is it this year ?
The spring festival’s website is clearly saying it’s at the new venue of the Rugby Club https://www.ludlowspringfestival.co.uk/
Obviously not dependent on the licence application.