A POPULAR pub in a growing Somerset village will be able to hold outdoor events after a new licence was granted.

The Virginia Ash pub, at the northern end of Henstridge, applied to vary its licence to allow it to stage outdoor events in the neighbouring paddock.

“We are popular in the local area – it’s a busy pub," said publican Tony Frith. “Pubs are struggling now and we’ve realised that we need to do more to engage with the community – and we’ve been encouraged to do this by locals."

Frith, who has held the premises licence for nearly six years, said there had been an oversight in the past on his part, believing that the paddock was already covered by the existing premises licence when it fact it was not.

“This application makes sure that we are doing everything according to the law," he said. "We don’t get any trouble in the pub – it’s well-run."

More events as village grows

A few locals objected to the plan, expressing concerns about "extremely loud music" at a recent event for example.

Frith admitted there had been some noise concerns raised about a party held on the August bank holiday weekend but no complaints about a subsequent Hallowe’en event.

A recent 1980s-themed night had attracted “a stream of phone calls from the same person," who later came into the pub and told people to turn the music down in “a quite aggressive manner."

The planned move comes as the village looks to grow in the near future.

Henstridge will experience significant housing growth in the coming years with 130 homes due to be constructed at the Townsend Landings site on Woodhayes Way and a further 52 homes on the A357 Stalbridge Road being approved on Tuesday.

Avon and Somerset police did not lodge any formal objection to the plans, agreeing a series of conditions including a Challenge 25 policy to prevent under-age drinking, all glasses being made of a toughened or polycarbonate material, and ensuring colour CCTV was installed to cover all public areas.

Under the new licence, the pub will be able to hold 12 outdoor events per year – such as beer festivals or themed music nights – on fridays and saturdays between 6pm and 11pm as well as being able to provide alcohol between 11am and 11pm.

“We try and make sure that we’re putting on things which are safe and enjoyable for people," said Frith. "We haven’t applied for anything that would be terribly upsetting.”