A £25million surfing lake in Easter Compton has secured permission to serve alcohol and play music until 11pm each day.

Residents had called for The Wave’s licensing application to be constrained, fearing disturbances late into the night, drink driving and chaos on the roads. 

They claimed they had been misled and said they felt “bitterly disappointed and cheated” by what they see as a fundamental departure from the plans agreed in 2014. 

The applicants said there had been a lot of “misinformation” about their proposals, which are primarily about surfing, and they needed a flexible licence so the business can thrive. 

Representing objectors at Tuesday’s licensing hearing, barrister Daniel Mansell said: “There’s a great deal of concern among residents. The feeling is it’s been changed from a sporting centre to a live entertainment centre.

“Residents feel the goalposts are constantly shifting.” 

Mr Mansell said it was difficult to understand the impact on residents if they did not know how often events would be held and told the councillors The Wave should not be given “carte blanche” to do what they like. 

He said the licence should be refused or controlled with stringent conditions, limiting activities to between 10am until 10pm, and The Wave should have to apply to hold each event. 

Supporting the application, Simon Meads said the licence The Wave has applied for is no different from the nearby golf club. Responding to concerns about people drinking near the surfing lake, he said sailing clubs manage without incident. 

He added: “It’s in our interest to end up with a viable amenity, rather than a muddy hole in the ground.”

The Wave operations director Ian Williams said: “I’ve listened to a lot of stories I fundamentally don’t recognise.

“This is all about surfing and getting people active and into nature. It’s nothing to do with the stories we’ve heard." 

He said there will be teams of staff to keep people safe, for example by preventing them surfing after drinking too much, plus 24-hour security and CCTV. 

“Alcohol is a relatively minor part of the application. We wanted the application to be as flexible as possible without impacting on our neighbours.”

Mr Williams did not specify how frequent the events would be, but said they would be tied in with surfing.

Sarah Lefevre, the barrister for The Wave, said: “Health and wellbeing are at the core of this project. It’s about £25million of investment to produce that outcome.

“There have been no objections at all from responsible authorities. That’s a sign of a responsible operator."

“We have been consistent in our intentions, which are to create a viable, sustainable and truly magnificent facility for the county.” 

South Gloucestershire Council’s licensing subcommittee approved the application. 

The Wave now has permission to serve alcohol and play music and films from 10am until 11pm each day, and until 2am on New Year’s Day. 

Music will not be played at a level that causes an “unreasonable” disturbance to neighbours and the outdoor roof terrace will close by 9.30pm.

Speaking after the decision, Sally Garbett, who mobilised the opposition against the application, said: “I’m very disappointed. It’s wrong. There’s an ethical and moral duty here." 

Mr Williams was delighted with the decision, saying: “We’re absolutely over the moon. 

“It’s not been an easy ride, a lot of it to do with misinformation. 

“It’s about joy, getting people active and into nature – somewhere along the way, that’s got blurred. 

“Residents have nothing to worry about from us.”

The Wave is due to open in the coming weeks and is now taking bookings at

thewave.com

.