A PLANNED garden centre with a restaurant has been granted an alcohol licence despite objections from residents of a retirement complex just yards away.

South Wales-based family run firm Pugh’s was granted planning permission to open its second Garden Kitchen by Pugh’s store at a vacant furniture shop in Abergavenny earlier this year.

Residents living in the Pegasus Court retirement flats, on the opposite side of Mill Street to the former Eric Davies furniture shop, objected to allowing it to serve alcohol due to fears of increased noise and that customers would park in the residents’ private car park.

Bob Richardson, the chairman of the residents’ association, said he was representing the concerns from 17 of the 20 occupied flats at Monmouthshire County Council’s licensing sub committee hearing.

He said: “There are seven flats that are not occupied and the three who didn’t object have major hearing loss. All those with good hearing have objected.”

The applicants had already agreed to reduce the licensing hours to 10pm, from 11pm originally applied for, on Thursdays to Saturdays as well as take measures such as installing CCTV and staff training which satisfied the concerns of Gwent Police.

The application, for on and off licence sales, only asked for permission to sell alcohol until 6pm on Mondays to Wednesdays, and 4.30pm on Sundays, while the centre will open until 6pm, and 5pm on Sundays, other than on Thursdays to Saturdays when it can open until 11pm at the building that last traded as the Timothy Oulton Outlet furniture and homeware store.

Mr Richardson said residents wouldn’t have objected to a licence until 6pm but said they were concerned about noise, with the centre having a capacity of up to 90 dinners, in the busy town centre area.

He said: “Mill Street is currently verry, very busy between six and 10pm on Friday to Saturdays with a number of people using the fast food restaurants.

“There is a constant flow of cars arriving, doors slamming, music being played from those cars and people going to collect food and also now those organisations that collect food on other people’s behalf.”

Mr Richardson said: “This means another 90 people arriving just opposite where our flats are, 15 metres away, in cars there will be more noise and that’s the whole basis of our objection.”

Nicola Pugh, director of Pugh’s Garden Centre which she said is a fourth generation family business that has been trading for 70 years, outlined investment in the building including air conditioning, double glazing and sound proofing panels.

She said the licence is intended to allow flexibility for hosting food led events, such as suppliers discussing their businesses at taster evenings, and music would be a singer or acoustic instrumentalists at a low level to allow conversations to take place.

She said: “It is acoustic and at a low level and not overpowering. We don’t want to be at the point we have loud music and we don’t feel our customers want that.”

She also said events are pre-booked, unlikely to be at capacity, guests would arrive and leave at staggered times and will be provided information on the nearby car parks and public transport in advance.

Testimonials from residents living near to Pugh’s existing garden centre and restaurant at Rogerstone in Newport were also provided in support of the application.

The committee was advised complaints over car parking were outside its remit but council solicitor Julian Saunders said the three member panel’s private discussion had included those concerns but they were satisfied the licence should be granted.