Alcohol licence refused for child's first birthday party celebration
Getty ImagesA bid to serve alcohol at a child's first birthday party in South Ayrshire has been refused.
The applicant claimed that families had been requesting licensed events as an alternative to christening celebrations where a paid-for bar has been permitted in the past.
However, councillors and local authority officers questioned the comparison between such an event and a children's party with entertainment on offer.
South Ayrshire Licensing Board unanimously rejected the occasional licence application for the Carrick Centre, in Maybole, at its latest meeting.
The application, submitted by interim centre coordinator Wendy Murdoch, was for a "Child's 1st Birthday Party with buffet and Children's Entertainer" on 10 October.
It sought on-sales and off-sales between noon and 17:00.
Licensing Standards Officer Catrina Andrew told the board the Carrick Centre had been in discussion with officers for several months about licensed events.
Her written report said the Maybole community facility trialled a "community bar" using occasional licences, before deciding a permanent licence was not in the best interests of the centre financially or suited to its "multiple use" purpose or shared facility with the church.
As a result, any licensed activities, events or functions at the centre require an occasional licence.
The report said there had already been a number this year, including family parties, community events and monthly quiz nights.
But Andrew objected to the first birthday party application, saying that no licences for any children's events had been granted in South Ayrshire since the Licensing Scotland Act 2005 was brought in.
The event was expected to have a maximum of 60 guests, who would be friends and family of the parents, catered for between the bar area and main hall.
'An alternative to christenings'
Children would only be permitted in the main hall and no alcohol would have been served there. but guests who had bought drinks in the bar could take them into the main hall area.
Murdoch said the bar would be operated by her or another trained member of staff.
She added that the request reflected changing family celebrations, and claimed a lot of families were asking for licensed children's parties as an alternative to a christening, as they did not attend church.
Andrew accepted occasional licences had previously been granted for christenings, but said each application had to be considered on its own merits.
She added that liquor licences for a children's event is not something that they would grant.
Councillor Bob Pollock backed the officer's objection, saying a licence would be inconsistent with a children's birthday party with entertainment.
Another councillor, Duncan Townson, said he could not imagine there being a need for alcohol at a child's birthday party.
He added that he was uncomfortable with the possibility of drunken people being in the same place as children crawling around.
The board refused the application by five votes to zero.
The formal reason was that granting the licence would be inconsistent with the licensing objective of "protecting children and young people from harm".
