Visitors to a tearoom in a historic hall can now enjoy a glass of wine or Prosecco after it was granted a late night alcohol licence.
The licence was opposed by some residents on the expensive estate over the road.
But say owners of Bake & Roast the new licence will enhance the visitor experience and its special events.
Bake & Roast opened at Smithills Hall towards the end of last year when Anna Worthington and Tim Worthington won the right to run the site.
The Worthingtons, who have been married for almost 30 years, want to add to the success of their artisan shop of the same name which has been in business since 2018.
At the start of this year, the couple applied for a late night alcohol licence, an application which was considered by the council last week. They want to be able to open almost all day, every day and to sell alcohol for consumption on site and off site throughout these hours.
READ MORE: Bolton: New tearoom comes to Smithills Hall.
In their application, the couple insisted the intention is to be open at the same time as the hall and museum, between the regular hours of 10am and 4pm, with the longer hours for functions and other, one-off events.
But there was opposition from residents on the expensive estate over the road, including one resident of the Coaching House who said there were issues with 'anti-social behaviour' and 'drink and drug paraphernalia'.
They said: "There is already a problem with anti-social behaviour around the hall, the hall grounds and the car park next to the Coaching House.
"We do not need an introduction of alcohol into the area where crime and disorder could be facilitated – drink and drug paraphernalia are already a problem."
Mr Worthington was in attendance at the town hall last week.
He told councillors on the licensing committee that he was a 'responsible' owner and the consumption of alcohol was 'secondary' to the consumption of food, with drinks sold as an accompaniment to meals on site and as part of gifts and hampers off site.
"He also advised members that whilst they had been trading there had been no incidents at the premises and that Bake & Roast would be sensitive to the history and country surroundings of Smithills Hall in their operations," according to the minutes of the meeting.
After consideration, the licensing committee agreed the application was 'reasonable' and 'responsible', as well as a boost to the business and to Smithills Hall.
READ MORE: Bolton: Smithills Hall's Bake & Roast opens.
The minutes of the meeting said: "The concerns of the objectors were taken into account, however, the sub-committee did not feel that by granting the application the issues raised were likely to come to fruition.
"The sub-committee were satisfied that if issues did arise with the premises then a review of the premises could be done at that time."
In response, Mr Worthington told The Bolton News: "The granting of the alcohol licence is really good news as it means we can now offer a glass of wine or prosecco to our tearoom customers, and at day time events such as our upcoming Easter Saturday afternoon teas.
"It also means we can start to develop our ticketed evening events through which we aim to showcase local food and drink producers, Bake & Roast and of course the history and culture of Smithills Hall and just what a gem it is for the whole of Bolton."
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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