THE owners of a historic Carmarthenshire park want to serve alcohol and play music there.

Golden Grove Trust representatives have applied for a new licence at the glasshouse cafe at Gelli Aur Country Park, near Llandeilo, following the cafe’s restoration.

The application, which has attracted some criticism, will be discussed at a council licensing sub-committee meeting on June 19.

Applicant Frances Jones-Davies, on behalf of the trust, said the intention was to serve light meals, snacks and alcohol — mainly bottled beers, cider and house wine.

“We will not be serving cheap drink but local craft (beer) and good wine,” said the application.

“Should we get any trouble we will nip it in the bud before it escalates.” It added that Gelli Aur was “a place of great beauty” and that “a good ambience is very important to us”.

The trust wants the premises licence to enable alcohol to be served from 11am to 11pm on Monday to Saturday, from 11am to 10pm on Sunday and until 1am on new year’s day.

It also wants to have a harpist playing on Sundays, Welsh dancing displays on Saturdays, and allow a DJ to play if parties of people book the venue.

Dyfed-Powys Police have made representations which have been agreed by the trust, including that no alcohol is drunk outside after 10.30pm.

The country park dates from 1560 but began to take its current shape in the early 19th Century, when the Cawdor family created the gardens, arboretum, tearooms and a Renaissance-styled mansion.

It has served as a billet for American soldiers, Carmarthenshire council offices and a campus for Coleg Sir Gar. The council sold the park to the trust seven years ago for more than £1 million.

In 2013 trust chairman Richard Salmon told BBC Wales that it was “committed to a full restoration and development of the public offer at Gelli Aur Country Park”.

The current licence application said there will be tables and chairs on the terrace overlooking the deer park and, longer term, a plan to serve food and drink there.

A handful of objectors have signed a petition opposing the licence, claiming the proposed hours were not in keeping with the area.

The petition added: “As local residents we have been sad to see the increasing state of disrepair at our local country park over many years and we are keen to see developments which start to improve both the structure of the estate and usage of the facilities.”

Golden Grove Trust, which formed a subsidiary company in 2016 to carry out trading activities on behalf of the trust, was contacted to comment on the licence application but no-one was available.