Pubs and late-night venues battle rise in noise complaints after lockdown

A rise in noise complaints since the end of lockdown restrictions is threatening the future of late-night pubs and clubs in the UK, industry figures have warned.

Late-night venues have seen a “huge influx” of noise abatement notices and pressure from local authorities over the last few months.

Sacha Lord, night-time economy advisor for Greater Manchester, said businesses faced a greater threat from sound curfews and restrictions now more people were working from home.

In Manchester, the city’s famous Night and Day music venue is fighting a noise abatement order and the threat of closure following complaints from nearby residents.

More than 20 venues in London have been investigated following noise complaints this year alone, Lord said. The 200-year-old Compton Arms in Islington has been threatened with closure, with the case due to be heard on 12 October, while the Myddleton Arms in Islington and the Jago arts venue in Hackney have both had to reduce trading hours due to a rise in noise complaints.

“It only takes one neighbour to complain for others to join suit, and too often we are seeing councils bow to keep developers happy rather than protect the night-time establishments in the area,” said Lord.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) said late-night businesses were “under attack” with many complaints arising from residential developments that were constructed during the pandemic.

It said people had become used to quieter nights over the past three years, when the night-time economy was largely shut down due to restrictions.

It comes as the sector struggles to recover from an extended period of lockdown, with many late-night venues reopening later than the rest of the hospitality sector.

“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 that their livelihoods could be challenged at any moment,” said Michael Kill, chief executive of the NTIA.

Lord and UKHospitality are pushing for the wider implementation and enforcement of the ‘Agent of Change’ bill, which makes developers responsible for dealing with noise issues when they build homes near late-night or music venues.

Lord added: “I have heard political suggestions that alcohol licences should be dismissed or removed from areas of residential development, but this makes no sense. If anything, residential planning should not be granted in areas of cultural importance.”

Kill said the government needed to recognise late-night businesses as culturally important and protect them “with the same vigour” as museums, galleries and historic sites.

Image: krit66 / Shutterstock