BRIDGWATER residents will soon be able to enjoy alcoholic beverages with their beauty treatments at a local salon.

The owners of the Brick Beauty Salon on West Quay in the town centre applied for a licence to serve alcohol to its customers until 9pm every evening, with an extension to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Residents of the nearby Homecastle House retirement community objected, arguing it would lead to an increase in noise and other public nuisance.

But Sedgemoor District Council ruled against these residents, believing the sale of alcohol would not become a dominant part of the business.

The issue was debated at a virtual licensing and gambling panel hearing on Thursday morning (May 20).

Salon director and owner Emma Beasant said: “We will not serve drunk clients, and we will ensure certain treatments are not accompanied by alcohol – for example, our mum-to-be massage.

“Alcohol will only accompany clients who are having a treatment in the salon. We are not allowing anyone to bring their own alcohol.”

Ms Beasant said that any music played in the salon would be kept at an acceptable background level to prevent residents from being disturbed.

She said: “The backbone of our business is a salon. We cannot have blaring music – that would be detrimental to our business.

“When we have pamper parties, our trained staff will be in charge of music; the volume will respect everyone around.”

John Bodiley, who lives at Homecastle House on Chandos Street with his wife Jennifer, said he and other residents could be unsettled by noise emanating from the premises if a licence were granted.

He said: “Our main concern clearly is noise, particularly noise which may go on into the late evening.

“Residents who go to bed early here – some of them in their 80s and 90s – are entitled to peace and quiet.

“We wouldn’t expect members of a hen party after a couple of hours’ pampering to come out quietly – that’s to be expected. But we don’t want that happening at 10 o’clock at night.

“The alcohol may become an incentive to go in its own right, rather than the pampering.”

Ms Beasant responded that only one hen night booking had been received – for a party of seven people, who would leave the premises by 6pm.

She added: “We are not a pub which will be turfing out our clients. It would be unfair to limit our licence when other premises down the road close later.”

After just over half an hour’s deliberation, the panel voted to grant the salon the licence on the terms it had requested.

Despite concerns that serving alcohol could become “an unnecessary and added pressure” on the running of the business, the panel decided imposing further restrictions on hours or types of alcohol which could be sold “would not be a proportionate response” in light of no formal objections by the police.