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Sunday night clubbers give hotel guests sleepless nights
Licence reprieve as trendy venue changes its music policy to limit noise
A BREED of Sunday night clubbers who party until early Monday were identified this week when a Clerkenwell nightclub defended itself against neighbours’ accusations of causing “intolerable” noise.
At a time when most people are thinking about a good night’s rest before starting work on Monday, the clubbers are flocking to trendy Sosho Match in Tabernacle Street.
An Islington licensing committee heard on Monday that for thousands of young people who work in the catering and restaurant trade Sunday is the only night they have off to let their hair down.
But the committee was told by residents and a manager at nearby Travelodge Hotel, off City Road, that early-hours clubbing on Mondays was stretching the government’s 24-hour Licensing Act to the limit.
The 329-bedroom budget hotel had to refund £4,500 to guests disturbed by noise over a period of months. It was forced to close 100 rooms on the side of the hotel near the club.
Hotel official Toni Morris-Ditty said: “It’s a heavy bass sound which creates a perpetual boom, boom, boom most of the weekend until 6am. Guests who stayed the night were reported to have been exhausted in the morning and demanding their money back. This was Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning.”
She compared the noise of cars outside to Silverstone racetrack, and added: “We even had to amend our website and warn patrons of the problem.”
The hotel, which opened just seven months ago, asked the committee to review the club’s licence and reduce the hours for the sale of alcohol.
Resident Martin Chapman said that, as his bedroom was opposite the club’s car park, he had to put up with shouts, screams and slamming doors in the early hours over the weekend.
Another resident talked about going to bed wearing ear plugs.
But the club’s new general manager, Angelique Ferra, argued that noise problems were now a thing of the past.
Ms Ferra, who previously worked at the Ministry of Sound nightclub, said: “We don’t play heavy music now, just ordinary house sounds. And we’ve installed new lobby doors to contain the noise.
“At the same time, outside we’ve improved the queuing system and we now have 11 security people on patrol.”
Chairman Lib Dem councillor Stefan Kasprzyk said that, rather than take immediate action, the committee would wait to see if improvements worked.
Cllr Kasprzyk added: “We are living in a 24-hour economy whether we like it or not. But we must all endeavour to reduce the impact of noise on each other.” |
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