A football club has promised worried residents it’s not turning its ground into “Ibiza-on-Sea” or the next “Isle of White Festival” after a backlash to its licensing bid.
The uproar came after neighbours to Sheppey United FC’s stadium in Queenborough Road, on Sheppey, voiced their fears over the potential for boozy late-night events and parties.
The club has applied to extend its licence to serve alcohol outside its clubhouse at Holm Park, and to have live music both inside and out.
The new rules would allow it to host wedding receptions and install pop-up bars and food stands during tournaments on its pitches behind the main ground.
It would permit the club to show live England football games during World Cup and European Championship tournaments two hours before and after their normal licensed hours.
But almost 70 “disrespected” residents have signed a petition in opposition to the plans, citing concerns over increased noise and existing parking problems.
The row came to a head at a licensing meeting in Swale House last Wednesday (June 25).
During the debate, four residents voiced their concerns to Sheppey United’s vice-chairman, David Ingram, who defended the proposals.
The 60-year-old reassured them the club was not trying to host the next “Isle of Wight Festival” nor “turn it into Ibiza-on-Sea”.
He told residents: “We are simply asking for a bit more flexibility to make better use of a community asset that already has a functional licence and supports a lot of local people, especially young people.
“We have heard your concerns, and we are not brushing anything under the carpet. We have listened and responded.
“This is not a free-for-all, and we want to be a good neighbour. We are also offering quarterly meetings with residents and updates via emails.
“It’s about keeping Holm Park sustainable.”
After a 90-minute meeting, Swale Council’s licensing committee approved the extension.
It means the club can now play recorded music indoors and outdoors until 11:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, until 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and until midnight on Sundays.
Alcohol can be served until 11:30 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and until 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
No live music can be played outdoors between October and March.
Speaking to KentOnline after the meeting, some residents living near the stadium called the new agreement “a load of rubbish,” expressing fears that match-day parking problems — which already clog Queenborough Road —could worsen with more events.
Ron Bailey, a former Sheerness Steelworks caster who has lived in Sunnyfields — which backs onto Holm Park — for 34 years, is not convinced by the club’s reassurances.
The 78-year-old said: “I go and watch the football, so I can accept the noise from people shouting, which only gets worse when people have been drinking, but we don’t want the noise from late-night parties.”
He fears the club won’t keep to their word.
“The decision is a load of rubbish,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rick Adams, who has lived in Queenborough Road behind the club for almost 40 years, says the club needs to better communicate its intentions to win over residents.
The 65-year-old grandfather-of-four said: “It’s great to have a football club on the Island, but when there are matches, parking is a real problem and is our main concern.
“If there are now outside events in the summer, it will sometimes be a nightmare.
“The club may already be trying to bring in plans to help with the parking, which would make it less of an issue.
“But because the owners are new, I don’t think they have built up the trust with residents that Ernie Batten had before he died.”
Another 65-year-old Queenborough Road resident, who did not wish to be named, said neighbours have been “totally disrespected” by the decision.
She added: “Already I get bottles, rubbish, plastic water bottles in my garden from the football club, and if they hold more events, that’s going to happen more.
“There’s also the parking problem. But I fear the noise from late-night events the most.
“Last year, there was an event with live music—I couldn’t hear my TV because of how loud it was.”
But not everyone living nearby is opposed to the new licence.
David Lillo, a former Sheerness Docks worker who has lived on Queenborough Road for 46 years, says he has no problem with the agreement.
“Live and let live, I’d say,” he said. “There has always been a football club and I’ve never been put off by the music — although what classes as music these days is debatable.”
Meanwhile, Chris Hughes, the boss of CH Electrical Kent Ltd, who has lived in Queenborough Road for six years, supports the club’s push to improve its sustainability.
The 42-year-old, who sponsors one of the club’s youth teams, said: “The only problem is the car parking, but I am all for supporting local sports.”
Sheppey United declined to comment.
