What’s new: Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has refused a premises licence application from Oakleys Farm Ltd at Little Blakeley Lane Farm in Dilhorne.
Why it matters: The application would have allowed alcohol sales alongside live and recorded music, dancing and film screenings, including occasional community and farm-to-fork events.
Worth knowing: Planning enforcement notices already require the farm shop and tipi to be removed by 15 November, while environmental health officers also raised concerns about potential noise nuisance.
This article is based on reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a BBC funded initiative set up to strengthen reporting on local democratic issues. The Staffordshire Signal has taken part in the scheme since September 2026, which means we're able to draw on a selection of LDRS stories alongside our own.
A North Staffordshire farm has failed to secure an alcohol licence and permission to stage live music and screen films. Oakleys Farm Ltd planned to sell locally produced alcoholic drinks from the shop at Little Blakeley Lane Farm at Dilhorne, as well as hosting occasional ‘community and family-focused’ events.
The venue asked Staffordshire Moorlands District Council to grant a premises licence to sell alcohol between 8am and 11pm, as well as to host live and recorded music and dance between 10am and 11pm and screen films between 11am and 9pm each day. However, the application sparked a number of concerns.
One objection came from the council’s planning department. Enforcement notices have been issued as the farm shop and tipi do not have planning permission and are required to be removed by 15 November.
Jane Curley, senior planning officer at the council, said: “Over recent years the council’s planning enforcement section have investigated complaints that a number of non-agricultural commercial elements have been introduced at the site. This investigation led to the council issuing two enforcement notices at the site in September last year.
The applicants subsequently lodged appeals against both notices to the Planning Inspectorate. The appeals were both dismissed on 14 May this year with the inspector upholding both notices with a minor variation to notice A, with a six month compliance period given in both cases.
“This means that compliance with the notices must be achieved after 14 November of this year. If this does not occur, a criminal offence could be committed.”
Denis Colgan from the Environmental Health department said that the tipi structure has little sound mitigation and was concerned that holding regular events in outside areas and the tipi would allow sound to break out and cause a public nuisance.
Speaking on behalf of the applicant, Chloe Whilock-Harvey told the licensing committee that the venue would not be unmanaged and the application had received support from the local community.
She said: “We are here today because we want to ensure that our operations, which are a vital part of our rural diversification and community offering here in Staffordshire Moorlands, are managed under the most robust, transparent and regulated framework possible. Before I do address some of the concerns raised, I want to clarify a vital legal distinction.
“We are here today to discuss licensing objectives not planning matters or how we are looking to comply with these. The two regimes are entirely separate when it comes to an application and hearing. Our goal today is simply to secure a framework which guarantees public safety, prevents additional nuisance and protects our community.”
Despite the application stating that the business wanted to sell alcohol and play live music until 11pm, it was clarified that the business would ordinarily look to operate in the core hours between 9-5. However, there would be the occasional event including farm-to-fork evenings.
She added: “As local business owners and residents of the Moorlands, our livelihoods, our reputation and relationship with our community does matter to us. We do not intend to disrupt or have any disputes with and we do not intend for our business to have excessive noise at any unsocial hours.
“We do not intend to be a late night entertainment and we intend for the sale of alcohol to be secondary to our farm shop and kitchen.”
The licensing subcommittee at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council refused to grant the licence. Two reasons were given for the refusal; planning matters and the potential for noise nuisance.
Written by Jonathan Sutton, Local Democracy Reporter.
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