St Neots Rugby Club has been told it can host a wider range of events to help it try and meet the £91,000 shortfall it is currently facing.

The club had applied for a new premises licence to hold a wider range of events, but had initially been met with some backlash over the 2am finish time asked for.

Neighbours raised concerns about being disturbed by noise from the club late at night, with one elderly neighbour telling her family “are they trying to kill me”.

The rugby club met with the neighbours who had raised concerns and agreed to make changes to address them, which some of the objectors said had reassured them.

Originally the rugby club, in New Street, had asked Huntingdonshire District Council for a premises licence to be able to hold a range of events.

These included:

  • The performance of plays indoors until 2am on Friday, and until midnight on Saturday
  • The provision of films until 11pm on Monday to Thursday, and on Sunday, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Provision of indoor sport events until 11pm on Monday to Thursday, and on Sunday, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Provision of live music indoors until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Provision of recorded music indoors until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Provision of performance of dance indoors until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Anything similar nature to that until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Late night refreshment indoors until 2am on Friday and Saturday
  • Supply of alcohol, one and off-sales, until 11pm on Monday to Thursday and on Sunday, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday.

The application was initially met with backlash from some neighbours who shared worries they would be disturbed by noise from events taking place into the early hours of the morning.

Concerns were also shared about the “ambiguous wording” of the licence application and whether this would allow the club to “operate as an off licence”.

At a licensing sub-committee meeting on August 21, Paul Warmington, the chair of the rugby club’s executive committee, said he understood the concerns raised about the 2am finish requested.

He said he had met with the neighbours who had raised concerns and thanked them for their feedback.

He said he was happy to change the application to an earlier finish time to address the worries shared.

Mr Warmington also stressed the rugby club was “not seeking to act as an off licence”, but had only asked for permission for off-sales in order to allow people attending events to buy a drink from the bar inside the club, and take it out to watch the event on the common.

Mr Warmington explained at the hearing that the club was a volunteer led organisation that offered a range of different rugby options in the area.

He said the club was facing a shortfall of around £91,000 to continue providing the rugby facility for the 2024/25 season.

Mr Warmington said the club received no external funding towards it’s day to day costs, meaning it was reliant on the membership fees, and being able to rent out the club for events.

He said the club needed to be self-sustaining business, however he stressed they were not taking a “commercial single minded, profit led approach”.

Mr Warmington said they were a group of volunteers “trying their hardest” to keep the club profitable in a responsible way.

He said the club planned to create a forum to allow the club members and neighbours to meet to discuss any issues that come up.

Some of the neighbours who had objected attended the hearing in person. They said they had “amicable discussions” with the club, which they were happy had led to “significant progress” with the application.

They said most of the issues had arisen from the original request for a 2am finish, and around concerns that the licence would cover the outside patio area, enabling people to drink there late at night.

They asked for these concerns to be addressed if the council granted the new licence.

One man who spoke at the hearing said his mother-in-law lived next to the club, he said she was 93-years-old and blind, and had claimed she had not been properly consulted about the licence application.

He said: “When we explained to her the notice that we received, her first words were ‘are they trying to kill me’, that is how strongly she feels. She has lived there for 73 years, no one is consulting her.”

He said the reassurances that had since been offered by the rugby club has taken away a lot of his concerns.

The district council’s legal advisor told the meeting that all of the legal requirements with regard to advertising and consulting on the licence application had been followed.

After considering the application in private, the sub-committee agreed to grant the licence with reduced hours.

The 2am finishes were changed to midnight finishes and the authority required off-sales of alcohol to end at 10pm.

Councillors said they “welcomed” the mediation that had taken place between the club and the neighbours, leading to the club agreeing to pull back the hours requested for in the licence.

The sub-committee also agreed to exclude the patio area from the scope of the licence to address the neighbours concerns about how this outside area would be used.

Councillors also set out additional conditions to address concerns.

The decision statement said: “The members were encouraged at the mediation between the parties and hope that this will continue.

“To facilitate this, the members determined to impose a condition requiring the premises licence holder to provide contact details.

“The members noted that the applicant was happy to agree such a facility.

“The members felt confidence that granting the application, as amended, would promote the licensing objectives and provide a balance between the commercial interests of the rugby club and the rights of residents.”