RESIDENTS’ fears of being disturbed by late night revelry in the heart of Wimborne have been allayed.

Music, dancing and selling alcohol at Deans Court estate will only be allowed to carry on until 11.30pm at six extra weekend weddings a year, a licensing hearing decided last week.

Guests at the estate’s two large events a year, such as the nationally renowned Feast of Dorset, will now be able to park and camp anywhere on site.

But councillors threw out all of owner Sir William Hanham’s other requests to extend his licence, such as allowing cars through the estate’s Poole Road entrance.

Cllr Alex Clarke said the licensing panel felt the original licence, granted last year, was ‘appropriate’ and it was too early to grant all the requests.

He said: “Residents suggested that what’s going on at the moment is tolerable.

“They were concerned that a considerable extension might affect life in the centre of town area.

“We felt we struck a balance between letting the owners support the economy of Wimborne, by bringing people in and staying in the town, with safeguarding residents’ interests.”

Councillors had safety concerns over traffic using gates in Poole Road, he added. A week before the hearing, Sir William had watered down the number from 500 to 200, but five residents still turned up in opposition.

Sir William told the Daily Echo he was ‘delighted’ with the committee’s concessions and that it approved of him setting up a hotline for residents.

But charities and people with disabilities would lose out as he would have to ‘drastically rethink’ how smaller events were run due to the vetoing of the ‘vital and safe’ Poole Road entrance, he said.

Visitors with disabilities at large events have to park in a field off King Street to travel by tractor and trailer and then a golf cart to get to the attractions. Smaller events see drivers and pedestrians using the single-track Deans Court Lane, which is a hazard, he said.