Go-ahead has been granted for a new specialised bar to open in Keswick’s Packhorse Court despite fears it could become an attractive destination for hen and stag parties which the town was said to have a reputation for.
Lakes Limoncello, owned by James and Jo McIntyre, was granted a premises licence by Cumberland Council at a licensing sub-committee meeting held in Workington on Wednesday.
The production and sale of Lakes Limoncello products can now take place both on and off the premises.
As well as a viewable production area, there will also be a tasting room for talks, classes and tastings. It will be open to the public outside of private bookings and Limoncello making classes, the meeting was told.
However, objections had been raised by residents of nearby Standish Street.
“Keswick already has a reputation for stag and hen parties and this will only add to an increase in anti-social behaviour and more misery for residents,” said Diane Moore in an email to Cumberland Council.
Samantha Watson, in her objection to the council, said: “Standish Street is adjacent to Packhorse Court, and there are already a great number of licensed premises in that area. They generate a great deal of noise, particularly in the evenings, which regularly leads to criminality, drug taking and anti-social behaviour in general.”
Addressing residents’ fears, Mr McIntyre outlined how they believe they differ from a lot of other licensed premises.
“It will not be as such a come and go bar, we are not having beer pumps, we are not buying in alco-pops or anything like that. The vast majority of our menu will be produced by ourselves on site,” said Mr McIntyre.
He explained that Lakes Limoncello was a new business separate to Wild Sheep Distillery, which will continue to operate out of its premises at Bank Street.
“We have been producing Limoncello in Keswick since 2021 at Wild Sheep Distillery, but it has outgrown the distillery and needs new production and sales space.
“We were attracted to Packhorse Court due to its off the high street location amongst other high quality locally owned businesses.
“This environment is key to providing the quiet enjoyment that our customers are looking for.”
Addressing the concerns about noise, anti-social behaviour and general anxiety about the impact of Lakes Limoncello on residents of Standish Street, Mr McIntyre said: “We aim to provide our customers with a relaxed, quiet environment which is anything but rowdy.”
He said they don’t intend on having any outside seating and the only window facing Standish Street was a sealed unit.
“So with that window being closed and the atmosphere that we want in there we can’t foresee any noise,” he added. “It is not what we want, we don’t want to appeal to hen and stag parties.
“As such, we are not going to take any bookings from hen and stag parties – it doesn’t run with what we want to offer.
“We would like to take this opportunity to reassure residents that we believe any licensed premises should be operated in harmony with the local residents and for local residents and our door is always open to help resolve any issues.
“We are very community driven. We have been in Keswick now for 14 years. We started on the market and have been selling alcohol on Bank Street for five years without any problems at all.”
