Licencing hitch leaves prestigious new venue 'dry' for wedding reception

With availability for his June date and impressive facilities looking over the lake at Rother Valley, Michael and his bride to be were instantly sold on the idea.

But their dream crumbled when they were told the alcohol licence they wanted would not be in place – meaning the knees-up would have to be ‘dry’.

Now he has criticised the new Rotherham Council venue for failing to act quickly enough to get the licence, or to look at other solutions.

He said proposals for a ‘bring your own booze’ arrangement, applying for a temporary licence or bringing in an outside bar company were all rejected.

He told the Advertiser: “You can’t have a wedding without a toast”.

The problem, he believes, is down to the Waterfront not applying quickly enough for the licence – a 28 day consultation period ends only the day before his wedding, when the venue had said they expected a licence to be in place by mid-May.

“I got a call and they said they didn’t think they could provide alcohol, but we had been at it since March.

“I asked if we could bring our own but they said no, because they could not control it.

“I asked if we could our own mobile bar, but they said no because it was not vetted by the council.

“I asked it they could get a temporary licence and they said no.

“There is a 28 day consultation; it doesn’t expire until June 5, so they have only applied in early May,” he said, “We are very upset and annoyed.”

Michael, aged 50, from Swallownest, and his Ukrainian fiancee Olena Ovcharenko could not delay – her son will be present, but with his 22nd birthday approaching he will soon be barred from leaving Ukraine.

That left them scrabbling for an alternative and luckily, the Marina fish restaurant in Rawmarsh was able to help.

Rotherham Council’s Service Director of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Polly Hamilton, said Mr Radford had been advised consistently that an alcohol licence could not be guaranteed for his early June date.

She said: "From our first appointment, and again at a subsequent meeting, Mr Radford was advised the venue does not hold an alcohol licence and there would be no guarantee that there would be one in place on the date of his wedding.”

“Outsourcing a full bar service as required by Mr Radford, was also not an option because the Waterfront team are not in a position to jeopardise their licence application.

“When he indicated that serving alcohol was important for his wedding, our team proactively assisted by researching alternative venues that could meet his requirements."

“Mr Radford has not signed a contract or paid a deposit to secure the booking. However, the date remains available and we would be delighted to host Mr Radford’s wedding should he wish to proceed with our venue,” she said.