Bar owner’s late-night plans approved amid neighbours’ noise complaints

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

A south Wales bar has been granted permission to extend its opening hours for live and recorded music, despite objections from neighbours who say they are regularly disturbed by noise from the venue.

Martin Rees, of Rosita’s Cafe and Bar in the town centre, said he wanted the venue to offer “something for everyone” – ranging from daytime meals with castle views to late-night entertainment.

His plans centred around expanding the business into a new outdoor area, and allowing recorded music to be played indoors until 1am on weekends, rather than the existing cut-off time of 11pm.

But several neighbours objected to the plans, telling Caerphilly County Borough Council they were already experiencing regular problems with noise on weekends.

One nearby resident told Mr Rees, at a meeting of the council’s licensing committee, they had been “woken up nearly every Friday and Saturday night by the noise from your premises or from people spilling out from your premises”.

Mr Rees said he wanted to be a “good neighbour” and was carrying out his own monitoring of noise levels around Rosita’s.

Another neighbour told the committee there was “a big disconnect” between the co-owner’s claims and the experiences of residents, however.

A council environmental health officer said his team had been unable to establish a “statutory nuisance” during callouts linked to Rosita’s.

But the committee heard one neighbour brand it “a shame the onus is on residents” to prove there were noise problems.

In their decision, the committee’s members agreed to back a revised application from Mr Rees which sought permission to play live music indoors between midday and 1am, and to play recorded music for an extra hour – until midnight – on Fridays and Saturdays.

Use of the new outdoor area will be permitted until 11pm, and that time will also be the cut-off for entry and re-entry to the premises.

The new licence conditions also include tougher wording on door security, off-sales of alcohol, the provision of bins, and that windows and doors must be kept closed “during periods of entertainment”.

At the committee meeting, licensing officer Sandra Lewis-Williams said she believed the proposed licence would create “more enforceable and robust” rules for Rosita’s, which could be “acted upon in the event that the conditions are not met”.

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