Beer garden wins licence after thousands back petition to save it

A popular Kinross beer garden – opened as a result of the Covid pandemic but later threatened with closure by the council – looks set to become a permanent summer fixture.

In June 2023, a Perth and Kinross Council planning enforcement order demanding its closure prompted 2250 signatures – in just 48 hours – to a petition to keep it open.

On Wednesday, February 19, Perth and Kinross Council Licensing Board unanimously granted a provisional licence for the beer garden; it will be upgraded to a full premises licence once the temporary structures are erected this year and the building completion certificate is submitted.

The Kinross Beer Garden first opened in Market Park – opposite the Green Hotel – in July 2020 when social distancing rules were in place. It is operated by Loch Leven Gin Ltd and has proved popular with families. Children play in the park while parents watch on from the roped-off beer garden. For the past five years, it has been open at weekends from May to September.

However, on June 22, 2023 PKC issued an Enforcement Notice to shut down the beer garden and remove everything – bar, marquee, toilets, seating, etc – within a month. Within 48 hours of the enforcement order being made public, 2250 people had signed a Save the Beer Garden petition and hundreds posted messages of support on the Kinross-shire community Facebook page.

In March 2024, Perth and Kinross Council granted temporary planning permission for the beer garden, granting consent for it to be open on an annual basis from May 1 through to September 30. It was granted for three years until October 31, 2026. Until now, the outdoor venue – which has noise level restrictions in place – has operated on occasional licences.

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Licensing Board, Loch Leven Gin Ltd’s managing director Jamie Montgomery presented the application for a full premises licence to the gathered councillors.

Mr Montgomery said: “We have been operating the Kinross Beer Garden for the past five years. It was originally conceived during Covid as a way of providing some socially distanced entertainment for the locals.

He added: “It’s operated for the past five years without incident. We’ve been operating on an occasional licence for the past five years.

Mr Montgomery told councillors the outdoor space had “proved extremely popular” and “filled a gap”.

He added: “What we have found is that it appealed to a segment of the community that are probably not well served in Kinross. What we found is we attract a lot of young families. A lot of parents aren’t very comfortable in pubs.”

Convener Peter Barrett moved to grant a provisional licence initially. It was unanimously agreed.

A full premises licence can be granted by council officers once the marquees, bar, etc are in place later this year, have been assessed by Building Standards and the building completion certificate issued. The premises licence will be subject to mandatory conditions with no local conditions being added.

Following the meeting, Mr Montgomery told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Having the full premises licence gives us the chance to open on other days for events and tie in with the weather and just that wee bit more flexibility.

“There is no live music after 10pm and there have been no complaints. It’s well organised and is a well-oiled machine.”