Council Addresses Concerns Over Much-Loved Shoreham Music Venue

Plans to redevelop the former Adur Civic Centre site in Shoreham will not affect the nearby pub’s wish to play live music, says council.

Housing association Hyde Group has been granted permission to build 159 affordable homes on the land next to the Duke of Wellington pub in Brighton Road.

It has been suggested that the new development could potentially result in tenants of the new homes opposing the pub’s music licence, which currently allows it to play live music every Wednesday and Saturday evening, when it is due to be reviewed.

Adur District Council is 'committed to doing all it can to help ease the housing crisis and delivering these 159 affordable homes is a big part of that'.

The Council has already listened to residents’ concerns about a Grey Poplar tree that stands next to the Duke of Wellington pub having to be felled to make way for the development and has since worked with Hyde to submit new plans that would save it.

Cllr Steve Neocleous, Adur's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategic Planning, said:

“If a deed of easement for noise is the final piece in the jigsaw that will give the Duke of Wellington the comfort needed, and allows the affordable housing to proceed, then we will do all we can to agree an approach that removes this threat of Judicial Review.

“We have suggested a further meeting with the pub owners next week to discuss this and to try to agree an approach.”

This is in addition to the initial agreement made in the planning process that when approved would see additional noise measures such as additional sound-proofing in the block adjacent to the pub, and obligations on the future owners to maintain them for the lifetime of the development.

There is also a covenant by the development owners not to bring or support a noise nuisance claim against the pub, providing it operates within its existing licence conditions.