CITY councillors have blocked plans for a high-end wedding and events venue in a village on the edge of the York.

A licensing hearing on Monday morning saw a three-strong panel refuse to grant an alcohol license to Holtby Grange, Holtby, on the grounds of the “noise and public nuisance” it would cause for other people living and working nearby.

Neighbour David Marles, who spoke at the hearing, said they were pleased and grateful to councillors for their time and deliberations. He said noise would have been “guaranteed” for homes and businesses in the area, and would have seriously harmed farms with livestock - including lambing sheds - very close by.

Paul Rhodes, the applicant behind the scheme, had told the panel of councillors they wanted to host “high end” weddings and corporate events, with 80 to 120 guests approximately twice a week.

He and his young family would be living on site, Mr Rhodes added, meaning they would be seeking to keep noise to a minimum for their own sake as well as other people’s.

Mr Marles and the area’s city councillor Mark Warters both said the plan was in an inappropriate location.

If it went ahead, the venue would bring hundreds of people to a venue at the end of the narrow farm track, Mr Marles said, with events finishing late at night and noise travelling easily from the planned marquees and tipis across the open and quiet countryside.

“The application is seeking to run a new businesses at the expense of existing ones,” he added.

The license asked for permission to open from 11am until 1am with live and recorded music and alcohol sold to be drunk on the premises. Mr Rhodes said that on advice of police they would be setting up agreements with taxi firms to help guests get to and from the site, and would have CCTV not just in the venue but on the access road as well.

However the chairman of the panel Cllr Ann Reid said they were not happy with the proposals.

She said they were particularly concerned about noise and nuisance, and did not believe the application would “adequately address the licensing objectives”.