Contribution by: Emma Davis

 Comment by: Emma Davis

 Focus area: Pubs

 Regulator concerned: Environmental Heath (Local Authority)

 Comment:

I run a pub/inn in a town centre location, it’s a grade 2 listed building with many original features, it’s busy lively community pub and my family have traded successfully for 14 years. We are involved in and supporters of local events, we also have darts, pool, cribbage, and football teams. We have held a late licence for nearly 10 yrs and have provided a perfect venue for local bands and mic nights, we also have had a disco on a Friday night and karaoke evenings for 9 of those years. Were active members of camra and pubwatch and employ around 15 staff, plus door staff providing employment for local people. This is now under threat due to new houses which have been built 18 months ago with their front doors less than 2 metres from my boundery wall. We appeased the new builds as did local planning, reports obtained from EHO at the time state that they feel the noise from my pub would in no way affect the new residents and due to this [deleted text] Council bypassed local Planning and allowed the construction to go ahead. Since residents have moved in they have made our lives a misery as have EHO. We have tried our best to maintain noise levels cancelling all live music costing us loss of around £ 3000 in a weekend alone. I have paid for accoustic surveys and and am now getting prices for a sound minister but it’s all so expensive and very unfair!! I have had to cut back on staff and if we loose our premise licence we will be forced to stop trading !! We have had no support from EHO and as this is their fault it seems we have no rights ??? The buildings are so close to my hotel my residents. An watch their tv’s whilst on the toilet !! 3 local pubs have closed in the last year and running a pub has not been especially with the pressures of EHO. The property developer lives next door and s has houses to sell which he cant due to us he claims and wont be happy till were shut so he can develope the site. He has just put forward an application to uild more houses next door which with massive support from locals was oppossed and were happy to say rejected !!! We have massive support from all in our community with hundeds of signatures on our petition, but it would seem our local community have no say against our priced newly built properties and 2 people with their complaints are able to ruin many lives. I live on site with my 2 young children and have run the pub the same for 9 yrs never once having a review on my late licence until now. My Licencing hours are displayed permanently behind my bar so surely if your moving to a town centre local right next door to a lively pub would you not expect noise?? We work closely with local Licencing, police, council acting on any reccomendations. They are all happy with the way we run our business and we have good working relationships. I am desperate for some support all I want is to be able to get back to running a business with a community that I love, how is any of this allowed to happen ??