Call for airshow drinking area to be expanded in 2024
South Ayrshire Licensing Board has called for a larger drinking area at next year’s Ayr Show
South Ayrshire Licensing Board has called for a larger drinking area at next year’s Ayr Show.
Licensing Standards Officer Catriona Andrew, gave the board a report on the event, including three outdoor bars, that attracted 240,000 visitors to Ayr earlier this month.
She said: “The air show attracted unpredictable number of people over a three-day period.
“Due to the large number of people who brought their own alcohol it was a huge challenge to ensure that only alcohol sold within the premises was consumed in the designated area.”
She praised the efforts of the bar provider, including the ongoing communication with licensing, but acknowledged the lessons to be learned from this year’s event.
“There is considerable work in planning next year’s events. We will learn from this year to ensure there is suitable alcohol provision.
I would suggest that would at least involve a much larger alcohol consumption area.”
Licensing Board chair, Councillor William Grant, said that it had been a fantastic event, but acknowledged the need to review the licensing areas.
He said: “I would agree that the bar provision and staffing was good. I would be keen on a more appropriately sized designated drinking area.”
He added that, while the event was a success, the laws around alcohol ‘are getting absolutely slaughtered’.
Councillor Grant added that it was important that the Board was involved in the debrief around the event.
Conservative Councillor Bob Pollock added: “Echo exactly what has just been said. The air show was a fantastic event for South Ayrshire Council.
” I would like to pay tribute to all officers internally in the council and partnership organisations.”
He agreed with the increased drinking area, but warned: “I hope we don’t place Police Scotland and the stewards in the position of having to enforce something that is unenforceable, especially with a quarter of a million people attending.
He said that it was also vital to ensure that issues around licensing did not tarnish the event.
He added that there were aspects that were outwith the control of the board but impact the licensed premises.
“We can’t control the weather, which then influences the number of people, which then influences stewarding and road traffic management.
“It is important that licensing is recognised as being a very important issue. It does have the potential make the event and the potential to tarnish it.
“We want to make sure it is the former, not the latter.”