Last Night

[startrax 0]

Hi,

 

last night I turned up for my thursday night karaoke to find out that there has been complaints about noise in writing from the council. Me on a thursday and friday and the live bands on a staurday night. Now on a thurs im only allowed to have karaoke till 10pm then music till 11, fridays I now have to finish at 11 instead of 2 plus they are only allowed to have 12 bands a year!!!! now this is what gets me from 11 they are allowed to play music from a ipod because its incidental music(2003 act!!!) because they wouldnt be coming in to see the dj!!

 

What is the diffrence between having me dj'in or dj ipod??

 

Just like to add there isnt any residential houses within 5500 yards of the place and the original complaint stems from the bar opposite who roped the bar I work in into it.

 

 

stu

[eazy 0]

unfortunately i've had loads of complaints in many venues before and once the council are involved you will never win

 

i contacted the local council once to see what guide lines there is and and was told if someone can hear it at all its to loud !!!

 

dosent matter what time or at what level all the rights are with the person complaining

 

1 person who dosent like the bar can have a place as good as closed by complaining about noise

[UKHero 0]

Find out where there having there Christmas bash then complain about the noise lol.. I bet nothing happens then :rant:

 

Nik

[startrax 0]

Its a nightmare realy, starting at 7pm and I know there will be nobody in till 9.30 ish, looks like my mobile days are gonna start sooner than I thought... :damn:

[DJJEG 0]

Must admit this really gets up my nose

I used to work in a venue that has been a pub for more than 50 years & has had a disco for 20+ years, 6 months ago the shop next door was converted into flats

The 1st weekend they had moved in they made a complaint to the council & the complaint was upheld, the disco no longer runs due to too much hassel from the council

This was after the landlord spent loads on sound proofing but was still not good enough

 

In respect if i didn't like too much noise i would no way move in next door to a pub with a disco...in fact a pub full stop

Why do these people have the right to complain about a situaition they brought on themselfs

What next someone moves next door to a fish & chip shop & complains because they have put on weight

[otronics 0]

What next someone moves next door to a fish & chip shop & complains because they have put on weight

 

EXCELLENT! smile icon

[Robster 0]

I have stop at 12.00 every week because someone complained.. The pub is packed and they can serve booze till 2.00 but people leave to go to the pub in the centre that can play music till 2.00am as people want to dance.

 

Its the same with all the other pubs they have to close early so you have masses of people converging on one pub...madness, it causes fights etc the one pub has started a rule if your not in before 11 and sometimes 10:30 then you wont get in ..this makes people leave our pubs early..All because they can play music late on!!

 

 

[startrax 0]

all went well, the sound was monitored out side and they decided(landlords) to carry on till 2 as norm with a reduced sound level and you coudnt hear nothing as I work in the bar at the back of the pub.

 

The towns committe :ouch: were there at 12am standing on the corner listening, which I cant beleive as these people are retired people looking for something to complain about, but they seemed happy. So we will just have to see what happens in the coming few weeks...

 

Its a joke realy considering that the pub trade is having a bad time at the moment with prices, smoking ban and its the same people who are retricting landlords for trying. It :cense: annoys me that people just cant go out and enjoy them selves on what moneys the goverments leaves us without get do gooders trying to stop it...

 

 

[analyst 0]

This aspect of law is covered by the Environmental Pollution Act 1990 (Part III) which basically says that the Local Authority has powers to deal with a noise nuisance. (The 2003 act referred to above is largely irrelevant, and it matters not one bit whether the nuisance stems from a live band, disco, ipod, pneumatic drill, abattoir, engineering works or w.h.y.).

 

If a noise affects a residential property such that it is deemed to be a nuisance, time of day becomes relevant here, and is also judged on such things as persistence and pervasiveness, then the Local Authority are duty bound to act on it.

 

I doubt very much if they would pay much attention to a complaint received from a competitor, i.e. the other pub, but would monitor for themselves to establish that there was a bone fide nuisance before acting.

 

It has never been a defence in law, even before the 1990 EPA, to assert that the complainant moved to the nuisance.

 

Dealing with a noise nuisance does not necessarily mean that the operation has to close.

If acoustic treatment can be made to work sufficiently, and remember opening a window on a hot night would immediately void this, then that would satisfy the requirement in law and the music could continue.

 

Maybe you have to put yourself in a position of living next door to persistent noise as your family home to understand why people complain. They are not necessarily kill-joys and probably enjoy a good night out themselves when the occasion suits.

 

Though I have to say, I can't imagine why the town's committee would all have to be out there listening to it, maybe they like a good disco and wanted to join in.

[startrax 0]

I not sure of what has and hasnt been done, but the landlords had air con fitted to stop windows being opened. To me it seems like the bar has been dragged into somebody elses problem because there is no residential property for at least 550 yards and that house is rented out to 5 blokes who share and cant hear the music in the house and just to add the bar has been there since the late 1800's....

 

 

For the committe being there was a total suprise, I did notice them foot tapping..... tongue out icon

 

Found this, seems good and cheap....

 

http://www.limitedgoods.com/itemView.php?P...paign=FroogleUK

[DJJEG 0]

Maybe you have to put yourself in a position of living next door to persistent noise as your family home to understand why people complain. They are not necessarily kill-joys and probably enjoy a good night out themselves when the occasion suits.

 

Sorry but dont move next door to a pub/bar expecting a quite life, i can fully understand this if next door become a pub/bar after you have moved in but that would get refused on planning application

[jukeboxdj 0]

 

Sorry but dont move next door to a pub/bar expecting a quite life, i can fully understand this if next door become a pub/bar after you have moved in but that would get refused on planning application

 

a block of flats were built across the road from an old venue of mine and after 6 months the pub was forced to close after the residents moved in and started to complain every day

 

in the end the landlord couldnt take it and called it a day but the property was knocked down and more flats were built..................................for all the lovely men just released from prison :dan+ju:

 

thats karma for you tongue out icon

[eazy 0]

in my opinion this depends on where the pub is ! if its out in a housing development with lots of family homes then fine

 

but if you want the convenience of living in the town or city centre then put up with the fact that there will be noise why should a busy high street be held to ransom by one complaining resident

[Dream Catchers 0]

I wonder if I bought a flat in the west end, if I would be able to get all the theatres and clubs shut LOL

 

Jim

[supersound dj 0]

9 times out of 10 you will find that the pub has been there longer than the houses or the same time.People know what they are buying @ the time of house purchase but they just want it all ways.

 

its a damn shame.

 

I think people just do it to whinge at something for the sake of it.

[startrax 0]

Thats excatly like it is here, its a small historic town with 6 pubs in the high street. The town has always been lively but some one wants it to stop. just let you know what we are up against the committe stopped costa coffee opening a small outlet, they want it as another charity shop and we already have 5..

 

The disco in this bar has been going for years so why now? I dont know but we will fight on....

 

I did suggest last night we buy everybody wireless headphones..... :Thumbup:

[analyst 0]

there is no residential property for at least 550 yards and that house is rented out to 5 blokes who share and cant hear the music in the house

As I said in my first post on this thread, to establish "nuisance" in law it HAS to affect someone in a residential occupancy. Even if next door was an all night secretarial pool in a law office who couldn't think for the noise, it wouldn't count as its not a residence.

 

If no nuisance can be established there can be no cause for action and any further threat of action is using the law of bluff.

 

That said, I am referring only to the Environmental Pollution Act 1990 and not any restrictions or conditions put on a a condition of a liquor licence or such like.

[DJJEG 0]

a block of flats were built across the road from an old venue of mine and after 6 months the pub was forced to close after the residents moved in and started to complain every day

 

in the end the landlord couldnt take it and called it a day but the property was knocked down and more flats were built..................................for all the lovely men just released from prison :dan+ju:

 

thats karma for you tongue out icon

 

That sounds about right, planning granted for residential flats/homes but i bet if it was a application for a pub to be built next door it would get turned down flat

 

Might have been a good idea to rename the pub the lock & key tongue out icon that would of maybe attracted customers

[Dream Catchers 0]

Thats excatly like it is here, its a small historic town with 6 pubs in the high street. The town has always been lively but some one wants it to stop. just let you know what we are up against the committe stopped costa coffee opening a small outlet, they want it as another charity shop and we already have 5..

That sounds very much like Skipton, it isn't Skipton by any chance is it?

 

Jim

[startrax 0]

No mate it isnt, its a place called stony stratford near milton keynes, lovely town thou... Its where the **** and bull saying comes from!!! tongue out icon

[startrax 0]

If I was to read the level of noise coming from the pub at night what sort of db reading would I be looking for to be reasonable?

[analyst 0]

Ah! The impossible question.

The problem with noise is that it is all very subjective.

You can take readings, but that may not relate very well to how the noise is perceived by the complainant and in the complainant's environment.

 

In other words, in such situations, the best tools for testing noise levels are still those two flappy bits stuck on the sides of your head and you need to do this from within the complainant's residence.

 

A further problem that arises, is that once a noise is perceived by the complainant they then start to develop a hyper-sensitivity to it. A kind-of hysterical "there it is again . . . can you hear that? . . . (rant follows)"

 

If you ever do get involved in this kind of argee-bargee my advice is to try to keep a distance. Confrontation will never work and usually just fans the flames.

 

If an investigating officer does get involved, remember that he/she is essentially neutral between the two parties. Talk to the guy/guyess, find out as much as you can about the nature of the complaint. Show a spirit of co-operation, sincere or otherwise. Ask if they have, or will conduct an octave band analysis with their sound level meter - from this you may be able to establish exactly which frequencies are most penetrating. You could then possibly tweak your Eq to reduce those frequencies.

 

Remember, high frequencies travel more by air and low frequencies more by structure. Also, high frequencies affect the hearing more and low frequencies more the body's internal organs (ever been to a big concert and felt your guts quake to the amplified bass/drums?)

[startrax 0]

So correct me if Im wrong, the council would have to investigate the complaint before any sort of punishment or restrictions on the licence could be made, and if so would they have to provide the owner with the results.

 

I have a strange feeling that reading the letter the pub had from the council that no investigation has been done and that they are relying soley on the infromation from the complaint, as they keep refering to a mr A and no mention of any conducted investigation.

 

As for visting the residence in question, the letter states that the mr A doesnt want any direct contact with the landlady.

[analyst 0]

Oh absolutely!

Jeez, it would be insane if the council always acted on the complaint only. They MUST investigate.

 

How else would they know whether the complainant was acting out of personal malice / was some kind of nutter / was a business competitor etc.

 

The law requires that "the nuisance be abated" and there could be many ways to achieve that.

This means they ought to contact the source to discuss it, and closure or penalty is hardly a starting point if that is what you are seeking to achieve.

 

It could be:

simply turn the music down

acoustically insulate

restrict hours of operation

and so on

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you should visit this Mr A, (Hooziers may be relevant here) that is something to be done by the investigating officer, using his ears and instruments.

 

If I thought that no investigation had been done, the first question I would be asking is, "what have you done to verify this complaint?"

 

EDIT: Damn those typos!

Edited July 21, 2008 by analyst

[startrax 0]

"what have you done to verify this complaint?"

 

She only knew of the complaint when she recieved a visit then a confirmation of the visit by letter explaining that there was a conmplaint, she then asked if the council could arrange meeting with Mr A to iron out any said complaint and Mr A doesnt want to be named.

 

I have to say thou on friday the door staff, owner and myself made constant checks out to see if the music was traveling(i might be bias) any further than the boundary of the premises, and all you can here out side is the people that are outside the pub smoking and sitting on bench's.

 

I plan to speak to here very soon, so I will know if there has been other contact from the authorities today.