The organisers of a Caribbean-themed festival in a quiet park faced objections from neighbours when they applied for a drinks licence for the event.
S&A Entertainment plans to host its Taste of the Caribbean food and drink festival in Hove Park on Saturday 22 June – one of a number of similar events around the country.
The operator said that it would be “an unforgettable outdoor street food experience, with food from different islands of the Caribbean, live music, funfair rides and rum punch”.
If the festival is a success, S&A Entertainment hopes to hold the event over two days next year.
The event is due to run from 10am to 8pm but people living near the park have raised concerns about potential noise and public nuisance.
One of them was Goldstone Cresent resident Jeremy Mustoe who addressed a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel hearing yesterday (Wednesday 22 May).
Mr Mustoe said: “It’s not just about decibels and noise. It’s a question of low-frequency sound, particularly music.
“I’ve had a lot of experience of events where from quite a long way away where you can hear the ‘boom boom boom’ of the beat – and that’s something that’s quite difficult to get away from.
“You can hide in the lavatory and hopefully that will work but it really is a difficult situation to deal with, especially as the event will last for ten hours. Ten hours with a lot of noise is a lot to put up with.”
Mr Mustoe was also concerned about a potential 5,000 visitors to the park which he said was “poorly served” by public transport.
S&A Entertainment’s event manager Damien McClean said that neighbours would be given a phone number so they could contact the team if they had concerns about noise or behaviour on the site.
Mr McClean said that the company was required to keep sound levels under control and would send someone to visit anyone who found the noise a nuisance, with a view to reducing sound levels.
He said that he went to a meeting with residents and council officials in April, answered concerns and found that people welcomed the event.
Mr McClean added: “This event is a very laid back, chilled community event, similar to a country fête or village fair, with a mature clientèle who want to relax, try out different cuisines and embrace different cultures, learn about other people, let the kids be entertained and enjoy a lovely summer’s day.
“The event is the coming together of the community and an event that breaks down racial, religious and sexual orientation barriers, with lots of activities for children.”
The proposed drinks licence would run from 10am to 8pm – and alcohol would be sold for consumption on-site only.
The licensing panel, councillors David McGregor, Julie Cattell and John Hewitt, retired to make their decision which should be made public within five working days.
As has already been said Goldstone Crescent is not served by any Bus Route. 10 am seems too early a start time, Noon would be preferable, especially as it is intended to serve alcohol. Similarly running the event should be limited to 6 hours I.e. Noon to 6pm, by which time local residents will wish to enjoy their evening. As a final comment, if the pricing is as extortionate as the Food Festivals held on the Seafront, it will perhaps not be that successfull!
I live next to a live entertainment pub in Hove, plus just off Hove seafront. I accept our green spaces should also be used for events. The noise does not go on to very late. If you want total silence you need to move to the countryside. The real issue here in Brighton and Hove is the 24hr shops serving alcohol, not well run bars, clubs and events etc. I think such events add to the vibe of our city but you always get someone who thinks others should not enjoy themselves. If you live next to a bar / club/ green space you should expect some level of noise at certain times.
Mr Pattinson suggests that those wanting ‘total silence’ should ‘move to the countryside’. There is a common misconception that the countryside is quiet and peaceful. It is not. It may be beautiful, but there is a lot of work involved in keeping it as it is. Noise sources include church bells, farm machinery, forestry and animals – all of which attract complaints from folks who have ‘moved away from the city for some peace and quiet’. Many countryside places are also under military flightpaths etc.
BHCC claims to respect the law and industry standards/regulations when it comes to noise from events. They don’t. They are treating public spaces as permanent venues so the promotors (most of whom are a small friendship circle linked to a council official) can make as much profit as possible. The spaces are rented out for around 5% of the total net revenues of events, meaning that residents are basically selling our public spaces on the cheap so private companies can cash out.
Green spaces are there to be shared residents get the most use out of them, you should expect events to also take place in them. I bet you will be one of the residents that would also complain about a live entertainment venue such as a pub. I live right next to one and accept it was there long before i moved next to it so accept noise. Pubs/clubs / events are well run with security its the 24hr shops selling alcohol to anybody that is the problem. Try going to one of the events you might actually enjoy it.
The odd balls complaining about events finishing at an unbelievably early time of 8pm …please book in with a doctor ASAP. You are clearly unwell . Terrible things happening in the world maybe speak out about them instead of wasting time and energy