If you have attended the Broadtown Brewery Hop Gardens and experienced the community spirit and what it brings to our hometown, surrounding villages and Wiltshire.....then please read on because we need your support.

What we did at BroadTown Brewery to Bring Our Community Together during the toughest of times.

On 5th March 2021 the Secretary of State the Rt Hon Robert Jenerick announced government plans to enable Hospitality to open covered Beer Gardens and areas so that pubs and taprooms could offer protection for the general public whilst hospitality worked to get itself back on the ladder of trading.   His letter to the public stated.....

Supporting The Opening of Outdoor Hospitality……. 
All of us in Government are looking forward to seeing pubs, cafes and restaurants open again, and, as Communities Secretary, I’m determined that we don’t let red tape to get in the way of a great British summer. Last summer we introduced several measures to support hospitality businesses to reopen safely, enabling business across the country to continue to serve their local communities. The planning changes we put in place last year have been a lifeline to many businesses and they’re here to stay for the summer of 2021.

Freedom to use land for community events and outdoor hospitality 
 Last year we provided greater flexibility for businesses to hold outdoor events such as summer fairs or motorsports on land without the need for a planning application, while events such as car-boot sales, or people or businesses such as pubs wishing to set up marquees will also be exempt. We have increased the number of days allowed for such temporary events ………and in November extended this provision until 31 December 2021. 

During the period from July 2020 until October 2020 we had seen our customers sit around the field and especially adjacent to our boundaries, and because the  government legislation was suggesting that we would not be able to open our indoor Brewery Taproom until later in 2021, we decided to build an Outside Marquee seating area that would enable us to carrel our customers into a much more confined space within the existing licensed area, but still meeting the Governments COVID requirements for public separation. 

Within the licensed 24 acres of land to the rear of the property, we decided to utilise a half of an acre of the land, which is adjacent to our tap room as a “covered drinks serving area” and extended car park. The covered area is 19M x 21M with six other tables in the garden.  We named it "The Hop Gardens" and its success was huge with people attending from all parts of Wiltshire and beyond at the weekends from the End of April 2021 to the beginning September 2021 as the local community came together to support us in response to our efforts.  We had four live events through the summer to raise funds for charities including our local Food Bank (which we have donated more than £1800 this year) and The Felix Fund which helps to support Bomb Disposal officers and their families in times of crisis.  But just as importantly this was  to raise the spirits of our community during one of the darkest of time, and it has now become a local asset to Broad Town and the surrounding villages and Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Calne and Chippenham. 

On the 15th June 2021 we were awarded a variation to our current license hours to additionally Include Sunday for the sale/supply of alcohol for both on and off the premises. from 11 a.m. to 22:30 p.m.  No representations were made by the public or Government officials. 
 
From April 24th 2021 until September 12th 2021 and with more than 68 days that we were open in the Hop Gardens with four live events included, we did not receive any named public nuisance complaints.  
 
At the end of August 2021, we were approached by a Wiltshire Council (Planning Enforcement Officer) who advised us that we should now look to gain Retrospective planning for the site, as the Covid Rules would change in December 2021 and full retrospective planning would be required to keep the site.    
 
We immediately engaged an Architect, and on September 8th 2021 we submitted a full retrospective planning application for the site, and stopped trading through the site in anticipation that planning should have been granted in November 21. 
 
On the planning portal for PL/2021/08484 we have had more than 358 positive comments in support of the business, which we have been told by WC is unprecedented.  In the detail provided by the local community and supporters of The Brewery and Hop Gardens they have all commented on what it has brought to our local economy and community since we started. The portal also detailed four requests for further information and two objections to the plans. 

On April 26th, 2022, more than 8 months after the application was submitted it was refused by Wiltshire Council without any consultation.

We have applied again for planning with an even more locals and neighbor friendly, but without any explanation it appears that Wiltshire Council are maneuvering again to reject this wonderful, well-established and much-loved local venue, that uplifted so many people during the hardest of times.

We hope that you will sign this petition for us and show a vote to have this planning application granted.