A small café near a Somerset hospital can now serve alcohol to its customers after being granted a new licence.
Jason and Louise Moore run the Cosy café on Middle Path in Crewkerne, directly opposite the entrance to the town’s community hospital and the neighbouring pharmacy.
The couple applied to Somerset Council for a licence to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises from 5pm to 9pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 11:30am to 9pm on Saturdays.
The council’s licensing sub-committee south granted their request following a meeting in Yeovil on April 25, despite the reservations of some local residents.
Mr Moore told the assembled councillors: “I’ve lived in Crewkerne pretty much all my life. My wife has worked in hospitality but never owned her own business, and we wanted to create something that we would enjoy as customers.
“The building was built as a purpose-built pharmacy in the 1970s, and it closed pre-Covid when they introduced a new pharmacy next to the doctors, and it shut within six months. It then lay dormant and vacant for about five years, falling into disrepair.
“We live nearby in Hermitage Street, and we saw there was a lot of footfall going down there – people prefer walking there to Hermitage Street, which has a smaller pavement
“There’s no refreshments at the hospital, so we thought it would be a good place to develop a business. We spent a year renovating the building, rebuilding the walls so that it insulates a lot of sound.
“We’ve put a lot of effort and thought into making quite a nice space, which we hoped would appeal to people living nearby, and we think it’s worth a bit more than a mug of tea and a bacon butty.”
Mr Moore added that, should the licence be granted, he and wife would be serving afternoon teas, tapas and similar refreshments, along with wine tasting events and “cream teas with a fizz”.
Noise nuisance?
Crewkerne Town Council raised concerns about the proposed licence at a meeting held on March 24, arguing allowing such a licence in a largely residential area “could potentially result in noise nuisance and anti-
social behaviour for these residents”, as well as “public nuisance” for those visiting the hospital.
One local resident, whose name and address were not made public, concurred: “The current nature of this business and its opening hours is entirely unsuitable for the location, which is a predominantly residential area.
“Middle Path only has limited parking and this is used by residents and visitors to the pharmacy located adjacent to the hospital to capacity.
“I can see no reason to expand the service provided by Cosy from a daytime café to include the consumption of alcohol without impacting on the surrounding residents in a negative way.”
Other residents were more complimentary, with Rachel Morris (who has lived in Crewkerne for 21 years) stating it was important to support local businesses.
She said: “I sit in my garden a lot, as do my neighbours, and it’s nice to hear people enjoying themselves.
“The parking issue has been much better on that road since Covid when the doctors’ surgery isn’t in so much use – people don’t need to use my driveway as an overspill any more.
“Crewkerne’s quite an old-fashioned town, and we need a little bit of class. It’s a very pleasant, sweet, cute atmosphere – they’re not trying to be a pub, it’s a place to sit and enjoy the quietness of the area.”
After just over an hour’s debate (along with a discussion in confidential session, the sub-committee voted to grant the licence.
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