New Forest District Council approves premises licence to allow Lymington’s Walhampton School to serve alcohol and host live events

A Lymington school has been granted permission to serve alcohol and host live music and film screenings despite concerns from neighbours.

Walhampton School in School Lane applied to New Forest District Council for a premises licence, which was debated by its licensing sub-committee.

The decision has now been published, with members allowing the licence after it was convinced the applicant “would manage events well and responsibly”.

The school is free to show films indoors and out seven days a week from 8am until 11pm, although it previously stated it intends this to happen no more than five times a year.

Live music will also be allowed from 10am until midnight, and recorded music 8am until midnight, seven days a week. The licence also permits late-night refreshments – including hot food and alcohol – to be served from 11pm until 1am, with the premises open to the public for events between 8am and 1am.

The school said in its application it would limit recorded music after 11pm to no more than 10 occasions per year, while late-night refreshments would happen no more than twice annually.

More than 20 objections to the plans were received, with concerns about noise, antisocial behaviour, increased traffic, and the impact on wildlife.

Speaking at the hearing, resident Nicholas Olney said: “We hear all noise from the school, be it playtime, sports days or other events. These are totally acceptable and we have not complained in the past, because it has not been that often.

“Outdoor film shows are very noisy and also involve light pollution; they should not be allowed. The school is asking for far too many outside events, with the vast majority held in the summer holidays, when local residents like to be in their gardens.

“Walhampton School is a school, not an entertainment centre, and parents should pay accordingly to support it, not to the detriment of others.”

David Harris added: “Residents don’t expect their peace and quiet – particularly in the summer months and at weekends – to be disturbed by lots of noise, lots of music coming from the school.

“You cannot have a conversation with friends in the garden if you’ve got a film going on two or three hundred yards away from your house. Neighbours are not worried about indoor events or school events – we are talking about outdoor events here.”

A report outlining how the sub-committee came to its decision said: “During the hearing, the applicant acknowledged, and apologised for, the anxiety that the application had caused residents and expressed its wish to be a valued neighbour.

“To this end, the applicant offered to provide information to local residents on upcoming events, which would also be displayed on local notice boards, with an email of this information provided to those who required it.”

The school has previously held events at the site with permission granted through Temporary Event Notices (TEN).

The report added: “The sub-committee noted that there had been no previous complaints when the applicant had held TEN events, and concluded that it had heard no verifiable evidence that the granting of the licence as applied for would create a public nuisance via unacceptable noise in the future.”

Speaking after the decision, a school spokesperson told the A&T that now the licence application had been granted it will no longer need to apply for individual Temporary Event Notices for the “well-established events which form an integral part of the regular school calendar”.

While the new licence gives the school additional capacity and flexibility on the events it hosts, the school has committed to keeping the number of additional events that could have an impact on both residents on site at the school and local neighbours to an absolute minimum.

“The school has also committed to sharing details of forthcoming events with residents, neighbours and the wider local community,” said the spokesperson. “The school is pleased to continue sharing its facilities with an increasing range of local community groups.”