Letters To The Editor
Five years on from lockdown, its legacy has been subject to the national Covid inquiry and local authority review. The easing of restrictions on hospitality venue outside areas, to support the revitalisation of business, has been under consideration. Leeway in prior restrictions expired this spring, but one asks how licensing committees are reviewing the relationship between outlets and their residential neighbours.
Living in the Brighton station area since 1990, the 24-hour city noise balanced with the ease of commute. Beyond that, having a pub in every direction and at close quarters is a blessing for the habitué of said establishments. Chat and laughter from my nearest pub garden wafted into my patio and never generated thoughts of complaint. Things changed in 2021 when a pub only feet and one house away opened its small backyard, shoved all the rubbish into a pile, and equipped it with sports screen, piped music, promoting it out front for private parties.
My neighbour and I were under siege, subjected to smashing glasses lobbed into our patios and kids jumping over our walls from the adjacent twitten. Most awful of all, my lovely neighbour dared to look over the wall to ask if patrons could keep the screaming and shouting down, only to have beer thrown in her face and hair. Unsurprisingly, visits to her herbaceous and loved outside space became limited and sadly in 2023 she died.
My remonstrations with the manager were deeply unpleasant as he told me that anyone living in a house so near to pubs should expect noise and disruption. I suggested that anyone running a pub so near to houses should expect complaints if they did not keep an orderly house. Thankfully, his reign of terror ended and the worse excesses with it. The fact remains that there is still loud Sky Sports and piped music, sometimes from early morning until the wee hours accompanied by screaming, shouting and cursing.
I have complained so much to the council and counsellors( no reply) that I feel like Victor Meldrew with retirement a gateway to fury at minor irritation. Yet neighbours at a further distance are also shocked by the noise exuding from an outside area that was not public before Covid. The yard is a distance from the pub itself, so they can have little idea of the late night or any other activity.
In a spirit of constructiveness, I sent bullet points to the council with reasonable minima, such as calling people inside after 11pm; practiced by other pubs. No response. The understandable support for local business should not surpass the welfare of council taxpayers.
l If you have anything you want to say, anything you want to say... your friendly neighbourhood Whistler is here for you