The Cheshire East Council Licensing Sub-Committee convened to consider an application for a new premises licence for GOAT, located at 1-7 High Street, Nantwich, CW5 5AW. Following a hearing, the sub-committee unanimously agreed to grant the licence, subject to the conditions outlined in the operating schedule, additional conditions recommended by the police, and any mandatory conditions required by the Licensing Act 2003.

GOAT Premises Licence Application

The sub-committee reviewed an application for a new premises licence for GOAT, a venue located at 1-7 High Street, Nantwich, submitted on 18 July 2025. The application requested permission for the supply of alcohol, provision of recorded music, and late-night refreshment.

The proposed hours of operation were:

• Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 to 00:30 for opening hours, 10:00 to 00:00 for recorded music, 23:00 to 00:00 for late-night refreshment, and 10:00 to 01:00 for the supply of alcohol.
• Friday and Saturday: 10:00 to 02:30 for opening hours, 10:00 to 02:00 for recorded music, 23:00 to 02:00 for late-night refreshment, and 10:00 to 01:00 for the supply of alcohol.

The applicant, Samuel Rock, representing Four Pints Collective Limited, sought the licence to commence on 15 August 2025.

Following a hearing and consideration of oral and written representations, the sub-committee decided to grant the premises licence.

In making their decision, the committee were required to take into account:

• oral and written representations from all parties
• the licensing objective of the prevention of public nuisance
• the Secretary of State's Guidance under the Licensing Act 2003 (Dec 2022)
• Cheshire East Council's Statement of Licensing Policy.

The licence was granted subject to the operating schedule accompanying the application, additional conditions recommended by the police licensing officer, and any mandatory conditions under the Licensing Act 2003.

The additional conditions included:

1. Installation of an effective CCTV system with 30-day image retention, available to the police upon request.
2. Implementation of a Challenge 25[^1] scheme to prevent alcohol sales to individuals under 18, requiring recognised proof of age (PASS-accredited card, photo driving licence, or passport) for anyone appearing under 25. [^1]: Challenge 25 is a retailing strategy that encourages anyone who is over 18 but looks under 25 to carry acceptable ID (photo driving licence, passport or PASS-accredited proof of age card) if they wish to buy alcohol.
3. Employment of two SIA[^2]-registered door supervisors on Friday and Saturday evenings from 20:00, as well as on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, with detailed record-keeping and incident logs. The SIA registered security staff should ensure that people enter and leave the premises in an orderly fashion. [^2]: The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom.
4. Restriction of open alcohol containers to designated consumption areas only.

Representations

Cheshire Police

Cheshire Police submitted representations requesting additional conditions to be added to the licence to promote the prevention of crime and disorder, and the protection of children from harm. Police Licensing Officer Peter Goring requested the inclusion of conditions relating to CCTV, a Challenge 25 scheme, SIA-registered door supervisors, and restrictions on open alcohol containers. These conditions were subsequently added to the licence.

Other Persons

The council received one representation against the application from a member of the public, who was not named in the minutes. The representation raised concerns about the prevention of public nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder. The objector stated that the High Street/Oatmarket location is a focus for many late night revellers who patronise the already significant licensed premises and late night food outlets, as well as taxi pick ups, and that this creates a cumulative impact that causes nuisance for residents from noise, litter and anti-social behaviour. They also stated that the 02:00 terminal hour for licensable activity on Friday and Saturday is unreasonable and detrimental to residents. The objector also stated that the location is a crime hot spot and that creating another opportunity for customers to get drunk well into the early hours will only serve to heighten the risk of crime in this location. They went on to say that they had no confidence that the current policing resources are sufficient to keep their house and their neighbourhood safe from crime and anti-social behaviour, and that this places a duty on the licensing authority and police to resist this application until they can provide residents with confidence that they have additional resources to oversee an expansion in licensable activity at 1-7 High Street and inevitable increase in crime and ASB in this location.