A RUGBY club which is putting up a marquee in its grounds for the use of the whole community has run into a hurdle with council officers objecting to the late finishing time of an inaugural event.

Consett Rugby Club has applied for a temporary events notices for a club presentation and dinner dance in the clubhouse and marquee on May 4 to finish at 1am the following morning. And it has applied for a junior presentation and disco at the same times on May 18 to 19.

But Durham County Council environmental health officers are objecting, saying a planning condition restricts the use of the marquee after 10pm, in the “interests of noise and residential amenity”.

A statutory licensing sub-committee will meet on Friday to consider the applications.

Club treasurer John Heatherington said: “We are disappointed, because the first event is going to be the official opening of the marquee and councillors who have been generous enough to provide funds for the marquee are going to be there.

“It is a hurdle we can do without. A 10pm finish is going to be a tough one. We want to come of a sensible conclusion for everyone involved.”

He added: “We take our responsibilities as residents of Consett, particularly for those residents who border the premises, extremely seriously and wouldn’t want to do anything that upsets them."

He added: “We have an alcohol licence that runs to midnight and there’s a slight contradiction where the marquee would need to emptied at 10pm."

Councillor Alex Watson said: “All four councillors in the Consett area contributed £5,000 each toward purchasing the marquee last year to make it possible for the community to have free use of it for six months of the year.

“They will keep the noise down. They are very respectful of the residents in the area.

"We are talking about one-off events. This is a valuable commodity for the whole community."