Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Wine bar given green light after two years
Plans for a long-awaited wine bar once knocked back over fears of “screeching chairs” have finally been given the go-ahead following a two-year battle.
The venue - named the Tudor Peacock - is set to open in The Square, Chilham, this September after securing its alcohol licence.
The future of the project - first announced in February 2021 - has been uncertain at times amid a series of setbacks, including planning permission being refused last year.
Nick Mogford, one of the wine bar’s co-owners, has now told of his delight to see a second bid being given the green light. “It’s been a long road but we finally got there,” he said. “There were a number of objections to the first application over issues with noise, so we’ve put a lot of effort in to make sure these issues are addressed.
“We also had such a fantastic amount of support in our latest application, which makes such a huge difference.
“It’s always been a community project; we have almost 30 investors behind it, more than half of which live in the parish of Chilham, and having the amount of support we’ve had has made a real big difference.”
Nick, who lives in Chilham with wife Jeanine and their two children, says the project is “designed to breathe life into a Grade Ii-listed building on Chilham Village Square”.
The 14th century site - once home to Peacock Antiques Tudor Lodge gift shop - will be managed by Nick and Jeanine along with their business partner Greg Taylor and his husband Christian Magg. With just under 30 investors, including major Champagne connoisseurs Taittinger, Nick hopes the building of the Tudor Peacock wine bar will prove to be beneficial for the Kent wine industry.
“It will be exclusively Kent wine; we’ve got a beautiful vaulted ceiling tasting room in the venue where we’ll be able to do regular tasting events,” explained the 45-year-old. “There’ll be a small wine bar too, so people can pre-book to have a drink in the bar. “We’re not here to be a pub, we’re here to educate consumers on the Kentish world and bring a whole new world of possibilities to residents and tourists.” Nick says work to bring the building up to scratch will begin in April, with the grand opening of the business likely to be in September.
It will open between 10am and 6pm from Sunday to Thursday, and 10am to 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
It is hoped the venue will create three full-time jobs, with two part-time positions also up for grabs and scope for further employment in the summer months.
The project swayed the planning committee in October 2022, less than a year after it was first refused over fears of excessive noise and disturbance to residents lives.
The local authority rejected the initial bid last February as it “would give rise to an unacceptable level of noise and disturbance to residents” and cause them “significant harm”. One objector voiced their concerns over the “screeching” of chairs on the building’s stone floor, commenting: “This screeching cannot be regulated and will provide a constant and distressing strain on the mental health of any neighbouring resident.”
Other fears included a lack of parking in the often-full village square, vibration from music harming the stability of old buildings, and the fact there are already drinking establishments in the square. However, a second application submitted by Nick and Greg saw masses of support for the idea. Speaking to Kentonline in August last year, Ryder Blakeley, landlord of the White Horse pub, backed the proposals saying: “It would help to create more interest and footfall throughout the village and, as such, keep the square alive.
“I feel it to be a tragedy and a disgrace that there are empty properties in the locality and am at a total loss in understanding how anybody might perceive any possible venture willing to invest in Chilham as negative.” Bottles and samples from the likes of Chapel Down, Hush Heath and Domaine Evremond will all be available from the site in the heart of the picturesque village six miles east of Canterbury.
The Chilham proposal comes after Domaine Evremond co-owned by global brand Taittinger - secured permission in 2020 to build a winery on the outskirts of the village capable of making 400,000 bottles of “premium quality sparkling wine” each year.
It is expected that the first batch of sparkling wine produced from fruit grown in Chilham by Domaine Evremond will be available this year.
‘We’re not here to be a pub, we’re here to educate consumers on the Kentish world and bring a whole new world of possibilities to residents and tourists...’