The Aberdeenshire Licensing Board convened on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, to consider a range of applications, primarily focusing on premises and occasional licences. Key decisions included the granting of several major variations to premises licences, including for Strathbogie Service Station, Kite Dinnet, Maud Football Club, Banff Town and County Club, Drum of Wartle Filling Station, and Drumlithie Inn. The Board also granted provisional premises licences for The Strong Water Company and Craig Ewan House. However, the application for a provisional premises licence for Big Manny's Pizza in Peterhead was refused due to the area being identified as overprovided for off-sales premises. The Board also approved the committee cycle dates for 2027-2028 and noted the date of the next meeting as 28th October 2026.

Applications for Major Variation of Premises Licences

Several applications for major variations to premises licences were considered and granted. These included:

• Strathbogie Service Station on the A96 in Huntly sought to amend off-sale commencement hours on Sundays to 10 am and to specify reduced trading hours on certain public holidays. This variation was granted.
• Kite Dinnet sought to include short-term lets as an activity, with no alcohol sales associated with these lets. This variation was granted.
• Maud Football Club in Market Street, Maud, applied to amend on-sale and off-sale hours, introduce seasonal variations for extended hours, and add various activities such as karaoke and film nights. This variation was granted.
• Banff Town and County Club sought to amend on-sale and off-sale hours, introduce seasonal variations for events, and add a wide range of activities including film showings, craft fairs, and business functions. This variation was granted.
• Drum of Wartle Filling Station in Meikle Wartle applied to amend off-sale core hours, add background music as an activity, introduce a food and alcohol delivery service, and amend the capacity and layout plans. This variation was granted.
• Drumlithie Inn sought to change its name to Steeple Cafe Bar, amend on-sale and off-sale hours, add conference facilities, remove accommodation as an activity, and add various other activities including workshops and craft sales. This variation was granted in principle, pending an updated operating plan.

Provisional Premises Licences

• The Strong Water Company in Ballater was granted a provisional premises licence for a retail shop selling wine, spirits, and cigars, including a tasting room. The licence allows for on and off-sales between 11 am and 11 pm, with provisions for children in the retail area when accompanied by an adult.
• Craig Ewan House, located outside Fraserburgh, was granted a provisional premises licence for off-sales only, delivered via third-party couriers. The licence permits off-sales between 10 am and 10 pm, targeting a luxury market.

Excluded Premises - Petrol Station Hearing

An application for a provisional premises licence for Big Manny's Pizza / Keystore at 17 Broad Street, Peterhead, was heard. This application was subject to a hearing due to Peterhead being identified in the Board's overprovision policy for off-sales premises. The applicant argued that the business was food-led with alcohol sales being ancillary. However, the Licensing Standards Officer could not support the application due to the overprovision policy. After deliberation, the Board voted to refuse the application, with five votes against the motion to grant and two votes for the amendment to refuse. The refusal was based on the grounds of overprovision within Peterhead, as the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that granting the licence would not undermine licensing objectives or that the benefits outweighed the identified harms.

Extension to Closure of Licensed Premises

Hearings were held regarding requests for extensions to the closure of licensed premises:

• White Heather Hotel in Turriff had its licence extension granted until 31 January 2027. The Board noted that further requests would be delegated to the Depute Clerk in consultation with the Convenor.
• Dunecht Sports Bar had its closure extension granted until 31 December 2026, with any future requests to be delegated to the Depute Clerk in consultation with the Convenor.
• The Vale Hotel in Fyvie had its licence determined to have ceased to have effect under Section 28.5 of the Act due to insufficient evidence of progress towards reopening and the premises having ceased to be used for the sale of alcohol for nearly two years.
• Kintore Arms Hotel in Inverurie was granted a further extension to its closure until the Board meeting in February 2027. The Board stipulated that substantial evidence of progress on refurbishment works would be required for any further extension request.

Occasional Licence Applications

BrewDog Inverurie submitted three consecutive applications for occasional licences to cover trading periods between 20 September and 29 October 2026. These applications were brought before the Board due to the repeated use of occasional licences exceeding three months, as per the Board's policy. The applicants explained that this was due to delays in processing a full premises licence application. Police Scotland and the Licensing Standards Officer had no objections, subject to operational conditions. The Board granted these three occasional licences, noting the ongoing premises licence application.

Board Meeting Dates

The Board approved the proposed meeting dates for the committee cycle 2027-2028, noting that physical meetings would take place at Woodhill House, Aberdeen, while board meetings would continue to be held virtually. Two dates were proposed for June 2027 to avoid potential clashes with council committees, with the final date to be confirmed.

Combined Annual Functions and Finance Report

The Board considered and approved the Combined Functions and Finance Report for 2025-2026. The report highlighted stable finances, a slight increase in income, and a reduction in expenses, resulting in a profit. However, a caution was issued regarding a significant outstanding legal bill that would impact the following year's financial position. The report also noted achievements in liquor and gambling regimes, the success of the early intervention approach leading to no licence reviews, and the positive impact of the repeated occasional licence policy in encouraging premises to obtain full premises licences.

Other Business

• Tesco, Banff had its application for a major variation granted, based on the applicant justifying a departure from the Board's watching brief overprovision policy due to a minimal increase in alcohol capacity.
• Drumlithie Inn had its application for a major variation granted in principle, subject to the submission of an updated operating plan.
• Dela Cafe & Bistro had its objection deemed not competent, and the licence was granted.
• Tesco, Banff had its application for a major variation granted.
• Big Manny's Pizza/Keystore in Peterhead had its provisional premises licence application refused due to overprovision in the area.
• Sainsburys Inverurie Retail Park had its provisional premises licence application deferred to the October meeting.
• Scotmid Tillybrake, Torphins, Banff, and Inverbervie all had their major variation applications granted, with an amendment to Local Condition 43(c) regarding the signing of alcohol deliveries.
• White Heather Hotel, Turriff, Dunecht Sports Bar, and Kintore Arms Hotel, Inverurie were granted extensions to their closure periods, with specific conditions and review processes outlined.
• BrewDog Inverurie was granted three consecutive occasional licences, acknowledging the ongoing premises licence application.

The meeting concluded with the noting of the date of the next Board meeting as 28th October 2026.