AN application to increase the capacity of Arley Hall and Gardens to 15,000 for certain events was withdrawn before it could be discussed by a licensing committee.
The applicant was informed at Monday’s Cheshire East Council Licensing Act sub-committee meeting that the capacity limit was not necessary as the estate’s current licence did not feature a limit.
Arley Hall bosses lodged the application ahead of summer events such as Geronimo Children’s Festival and DogFest, after discovering that the fees they paid related to a capacity of 5,999.
A lawyer at Monday’s meeting told the team that their fees were not directly related to the site’s capacity, and that proceeding with the application would enable the committee to cap attendances.
The applicant team said they were aware of the indirect link, but thought it would be fair to come to committee as they didn’t feel comfortable paying an insufficient fee.
The application, which had received a number of letters in support and objection, was withdrawn.
A separate application to extend the site’s opening hours from 9am to 6pm all year round except between Christmas Day and January 2 was approved.
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