Jake Castleman, of the Cock and Bull, which took over the former tourist information centre in the Town Square, has applied for a variation of his premises licence to allow the sale of alcohol off the premises. This could be served to a nearby pop-up beer garden, with an agreement in place with the owners of the square, Amble Development Trust, to use the area. A hearing of Northumberland County Council’s licensing sub-committee was required as the bid has sparked objections from Northumbria Police, Amble Town Council and the ward member for Amble West with Warkworth, Coun Jeff Watson, in relation to the public space protection order already in operation in the town and concerns over an increase in anti-social behaviour. There were also 13 letters of support though, including from nearby residents, with one saying that while she was anxious about the venue’s opening, ‘all of my concerns have been allayed’. However, the Business and Planning Bill was introduced in Parliament not long before the hearing started at 2pm on Thursday, June 25, and it includes temporary changes to licensing laws that will allow premises to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises using their existing licences. The Government’s aim is to get the new bill through so that the legislation comes into force to tie in with the re-opening of pubs and restaurants from Saturday, July 4, and it would apply until the end of September next year. However, the new rules on off sales would not apply to those who have had permission for this refused or taken away in the last three years, which would have been the case for Mr Castleman if the hearing had gone ahead and his application been refused. Therefore, following an update on this from the county council’s lawyer, Mr Castleman requested an adjournment to seek legal advice and consider his next steps. This was agreed by all parties, with Northumbria Police asking that more information be provided about the pop-up beer garden when the hearing is reconvened. A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper. Thank you