Licensing Chiefs Back Hove Pub In Noise Row

The volume of sound coming from a Hove pub was not consistently loud enough to amount to a noise nuisance, a council licensing panel has found.

People living in four properties near the Paris House pub, in Western Road, Hove, complained to Brighton and Hove City Council about the venue.

They asked a council licensing panel to impose more conditions to put a stop to loud music late at night.

The panel – made up of three councillors – reviewed the licence at a hearing that lasted eight hours a week ago – on Friday 10 May.

The panel – David McGregor, Paul Nann and Tobias Sheard – heard from neighbours, a sound expert, the pub’s owners and musicians who perform there.

Neighbours who have lived near the pub for between 12 and 35 years spoke about lost sleep because of loud music and being able to hear the words inside their homes.

But the panel were not convinced that the noise amounted to a public nuisance.

The council said:

“The area itself is a busy, vibrant city centre location with many other licensed and retail premises and thus a level of noise is inevitable.

“The evidence of noise disturbance is not sufficiently widespread or consistent to amount to a public nuisance in our view.

“There are many representations from residents who live closer to the premises than the applicants who are not disturbed by noise from the premises including those who live immediately next door.

“The representations from the environmental protection officer and licensing officer do not corroborate the applicants’ complaints or establish the existence of a noise nuisance or breach of any conditions despite over 20 visits to the premises.”

The panel recognised that the pub’s noise limiter was in constant use and the Saturday resident DJ made regular noise checks.

The venue’s existing licence was an “old” one and the panel noted that some of the conditions were not as clear and precise as they could be, particularly the basic guidance around the sound limiter.

The panel said:

“Given the assurances by the DJ and licence holders that the sound limiter was in effective operation during DJ sets and recorded music, we consider it is appropriate therefore to replace it with the following condition which was discussed with the premises when they met the licensing officers and was acceptable to them.

“The installed sound limiter device shall be set and approved by an environmental protection officer from Brighton and Hove City Council.

“Once set, the limiter shall be locked and tamper-free. Access to this device will be made available and adjustments made should noise complaints be received.

“All recorded music and DJ sets shall be plugged into this sound limiter device to limit the music level.”

The panel said that the outside area should be closed and cleared by 11pm in line with the current licence and the management should continue to check noise regularly both inside and outside the premises.

The Paris House’s parent company Rowbell Leisure was approached for comment.