Neighbours fear noise from the garden of a restaurant and wine bar and have concerns about how it will be monitored once the business opens in the spring.
They set out their concerns and objections at a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel hearing today (Wednesday 17 December) when councillors considered Hall and Wise Limited’s plans for the Wineyard, at 120 St George’s Road, Brighton.
Hall and Wise has yet to sign a lease on the site which has operated as a restaurant for more than 20 years but is currently empty.
Should they secure a licence from the council, the operating hours would be from 10am to 11pm daily.
The restaurant and bar area has space for about 150 people across two floors, with about 50 more in the back garden.
At the hearing, neighbour Eleanor De Giberne Sieveking asked about staff training because she was concerned about noise from the garden.
Her bedroom backs on to the garden and she said that it was the only place in the flat where she and her partner Leonardo were not affected by noise from other venues in the area. He also objected to the licence application.
She said: “We have been here since March but the noise level we experience in our flat is already pretty intolerable.
“Just because we’ve been here since March doesn’t mean we’re not capable of understanding how noise travels and how it will travel, especially from the garden area, which will go straight into our bedroom.
“We hope the council gives appropriate weight to the comfort of residents as well as the prosperity of businesses.”
Company director Tim Hall, 54, said that outside noise could be subjective, saying: “One relies on a quality manager so the general manager in the premises we’re looking to hire at the moment is extremely experienced. One of his roles will be to manage noise.
“We know we’re in a residential area and those residents are our customers. So it’s extremely important to us that we maintain good relations with all the residents and part of the manager’s job will be to ensure that noise levels are kept under control.”
Fellow director Marc Wise, 51, said that the business had no plans for live music in the garden or any form of entertainment.
Mr Wise told the panel that the business wanted to keep the garden open during its entire opening hours when asked if earlier closing outside was an option.
Before the hearing, the directors agreed draft conditions with Sussex Police which include no standing and drinking inside the venue, with customers served by waiting staff.
During busy periods, customers would be able to order from the bar and return to their tables.
Customers would be allowed to stand and drink in the garden but tables and chairs would be provided to encourage people to sit.
Substantial food must be available at all times, with menus clearly displayed and including hot food.
Off-sales would be limited to wine produced by independent vintners and sold in sealed containers.
A report said that the application complied with the council’s licensing policies and the site had a history of operating as a bar and restaurant but the previous licence has lapsed.
It was most recently Arcobaleno and previously the Old Bank Steak and Ribs and, before that, La Fourchette.
The panel of three councillors – Samer Bagaeen, Ivan Lyons and Ollie Sykes – retired to make a decision which should be made public within five working days.
For Gods sake, 11pm! What is all the fuss about? It was a gay bar a year ago with a drinks licence. You have The Kemp Pub across the road which has its doors open in the summer and stays open late at the weekends with lots of noise coming out of it and live music. If you want to live in utter quiet than move to the country!
It’s a complete mystery why people who value silence move to busy areas of the city. Did they not notice the profusion of shops, bars, restaurants and clubs when they moved in?
If you want silence, move to a small village. Don’t move to an expensive, vibrant area and expect everyone to comply with your unreasonable demands.
We’ve lost enough venues in the city to whinging NIMBYs. Licensing should tell these moaners what to do.