AN award-winning wedding venue in Blakemere is battling to host more events a year in a move that neighbours fear could cause too much disruption.

Cheshire Falconry currently uses temporary event notices (TENs) to host weddings under the brand Cheshire Woodland Weddings – but it is limited to 15 TENs a year, and the firm wants to host around twice that number of weddings.

It has applied to Cheshire West and Chester Council to be open from 9am to midnight, and licensed to sell alcohol from 11am to 11.30pm, seven days a week.

But at a licensing committee meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Charles Fifield, Conservative CWAC member for Weaver and Cuddington, warned that residents would be hit by noise on weeknights.

“Blakemere as a whole has got four licensed venues and I know that in planning there is the concept of accumulative impact,” he said.

Northwich Guardian:

“What we are looking at are regular events going on in the evenings that are going to affect residents – that’s what my primary concern is, especially during the week.”

Cllr Fifield objected to the scheme on the grounds of public nuisance, although he did suggest the council considers allowing the later licence on Friday and Saturday nights, but limiting alcohol sales to 9pm.

Neighbouring resident Neil White also objected and suggested the licence should not be granted on the grounds of public safety and to protect children from harm.

He said: “It is a very popular area and people invest an awful lot of money to live in the area.

“It’s important that residents get the peace and quiet which they are entitled to. They probably bought their homes on the basis that Blakemere is a craft centre, not a wedding venue or disco.

“My concern is that usually when people get a foot in the door they will push it further and take it beyond what it was originally intended to become.”

But representatives from Cheshire Woodland Weddings, which won Marketing Cheshire’s wedding venue of the year in June, insisted they would be mindful of residents.

Steve Birchall, director, told the committee that there had never been police involvement at any events hosted at the 250-capacity venue, and there had never been objections to TENs.

He pointed out that the barn where weddings are held is sound proofed, while a noise limiter has been fitted, and insisted that it would go against the firm’s interest to disturb wildlife at the falconry.

“We are not in any shape or form a wedding factory,” Mr Birchall said.

“We have weddings maybe once a week, we do not do seven days a week and we have no intention of doing seven days a week.

“The absolute maximum would be 30 weddings a year – and I am quite happy for that to be documented.

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“We have got wildlife, we have got wild birds nesting, we have got a falconry with birds of prey, we have got a lot of nature that we want to protect.”

CWAC is expected to announce the terms of the new licence over the next week.