Following noise complaints, The Scala’s live music license was reviewed at a recent licensing committee.
Concerns were raised by a local resident and a business owner around noise levels at the venue. The resident supplied an impact statement to the committee on how his son was no longer able to stay with him due to the noise levels in his property, and the business owner reporting how the vibration of the music caused snooker balls to move on snooker tables in its premises.
As a result, noise monitoring was undertaken by the Council’s Environmental Health department which evidenced statutory noise nuisance.
Following an independent review undertaken by The Scala, the owner wrote to a Council Public Health Officer, stating:
“…it has become evident that to comply with sound insulation standards, significant structural improvements to our venue are necessary.’ He went on to say, ‘These findings suggest that operating as a music venue under the current conditions is unsustainable.’
The matter was heard by Licensing Sub-Committee on Thursday 11th April. After considering the information provided by all parties involved, the committee members agreed that the review process was conducted appropriately and that a measured approach had been followed by the Environmental Health department. They also acknowledged that a public nuisance had occurred at the premises, which violated the licensing objective of preventing public disturbances. Committee members also considered the steps put forward by the premises licence holder to address noise nuisance and their long-term redevelopment plans.
The committee therefore felt that it was appropriate to place additional conditions on the licence to control how live music can continue at the venue. These include stopping live music at 8pm and for the business to undertake an independent Noise Impact Assessment and implement the recommended measures within a specified time.
