Firstly, some welcome news. The review of the premises licence of the Compton Arms in Canonbury (N1 2XD) by Islington Council found no contravention of any noise or health regulations. The Council did add provisions regarding noise management and customer dispersal to its licence but the licensee, Nick Stephens, said that this was just ‘firming up’ procedures already in practice. Speaking to the Islington Tribune, Mr Stephens said, “We are relieved because common sense has prevailed. We were, and still are, totally overwhelmed by the support we received. It’s been a stressful time for everybody and we are very glad it’s over. We hope that we can find a bit more harmony, now that it’s behind us.” One of the objectors said that they were not, as previously reported, new arrivals in the area and that the nature of the pub had changed since Mr Stephens took over but noise control officers told the hearing that they had been called out 34 times in the previous year but, except on two occasions, ‘either no issues were witnessed or not considered to be a statutory nuisance’. Hopefully this will be an end to the matter.
Unfortunately, the Compton is not a one-off case. Not everyone likes pubs. This is the text of a letter (from a resident of Bromley) that was published in the Metro newspaper on 1 September: “Apart from the architectural aspect, I would be perfectly happy to see all pubs close down. This would put a stop to all the noisy troublemaking drunken oafs who make our lives so unpleasant. Bring it on.”
The Night Time Industry Association sees the escalation of noise complaints becoming a ‘real issue’ for the sector. Their chief executive, Michael Kill, told the Morning Advertiser, “The UK’s NTE businesses are under attack, undeservedly in many cases. These businesses have weathered over three years of austerity, and now with untenable operating costs, face a fight for survival. The escalation of noise complaints across the UK has become a real issue with businesses not only feeling the pressures of current costs and trade, but now the notion their livelihoods could be challenged at any moment.”
The Greater London Authority’s London Plan includes a policy (D13) on the Agent of Change principle. Section B of this says:
Development should be designed to ensure that established noise and other nuisance-generating uses remain viable and can continue or grow without unreasonable restrictions being placed on them.
Although it relates to development work, this principle should, I would argue, be developed to establish that there has to be a clear and identifiable change to the way that a pub or music venue is operating before a local authority will accept an application for a premises licence review. No complaints should be accepted in cases where the situation already existed when the complainant brought themselves into contact with it.