A wedding venue in an exclusive village on the Norfolk coast has been granted permission to sell alcohol late into the night despite a backlash from locals complaining about "Ibiza-style parties".
The owners of Barn Drift, on the outkirts of Cley-next-the-Sea, had applied for a premises licence to hold events until 1am.
The move led to people objecting, with a number of locals saying they had been disturbed by loud music from the venue, which is also used as a holiday let.
The parish council likened these events to "Ibiza-style parties" at the converted barn and said repetitive bass music could be heard throughout the village at times.
At a North Norfolk District Council licencing committee meeting, Alice Atkinson, the owner of Barn Drift, defended her business, saying it is primarily a holiday let.
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She said the site only hosted 20 wedding celebrations a year and that she had employed Norwich firm Pheonix Security to monitor noise levels and ensure parties did not become unruly and too loud.
She promised not to increase the frequency of events and said the reason for the application was to avoid the "lengthy admin" necessary when applying for temporary licences.
While the environmental health officer said there had only been three formal noise complaints made against the venue, councillor Victoria Holliday, who represents Cley, painted a different picture.
She said noise nuisance from Barn Drift had become a "contentious issue" in the village and that there had been 16 complaints made to the parish council, with even Duncan Baker, north Norfolk MP, being contacted.
"Villagers have complained about hearing lyrics to songs and heavy bass beats when they are putting their child to bed," she added.
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Questions have also been raised about the fact that the site does not have planning permission to hold events but the legal officer said this issue could not be considered as part of this application.
After holding private discussions, the licencing committee members approved the application with certain conditions that included limiting events being held outdoors until 11pm.
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