Club faces reduced opening hours after complaints of antisocial behaviour

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter 

A club could have its hours cut following a series of complaints about noise, loitering, and alleged urination and drug use outside the premises.

Environmental health officers called on Caerphilly Council’s licensing committee to review the Ruperra Club’s licence at a meeting on Friday January 16.

A local resident, Mrs Preece, told the committee there had been “instances of fighting” as well as “people drug dealing outside my gate” when she walked her children home from school.

She was one of four neighbours to provide written evidence to the committee, in which they outlined complaints ranging from “alarming” noise and disruption, to litter and “unsafe” behaviour.

The premises licence holder, Ross Perkins, defended his running of the club and said he “always had been willing to work with the neighbours”.

But council environmental health officer Victoria Woodland said her team had gathered “clear” evidence the club’s patrons “had no respect for management controls or the amenity of the local area”.

“Despite various interventions, having used the full range of tools available to us… we were faced with no option but to make this review application,” she told the committee.

Licensing officer Sandra Lewis Williams added the council had followed “a stepped approach of visits, support and advice over the previous year”.

Her colleague, Lee Morgan, told the committee officers were recommending a reduction in hours at the club.

But Mr Perkins said cutting the hours “would affect us as a community hub”.

He argued he had turned around the club’s fortunes since taking over in December 2024, making it “a busier place”.

“I believe the accusations of not running the premises correctly are untrue,” he told the committee. “There have been issues – but we have addressed them.”

Mr Perkins said the club followed measures including a Challenge 25 policy, staff training, CCTV and perimeter checks.

But there was surprise among the committee members when he said he was unable to provide further information on the staff training.

CCTV checks

The committee was shown CCTV footage of various events in 2025 in private, following a vote of members.

Committee chairman, Cllr Shane Williams, asked Mr Perkins if he believed the activity shown in that footage was “normal”.

“I don’t,” Mr Perkins replied. “There’s improvement to be made and we’ve put those improvements in place.”

Mrs Preece told the committee she had lived at her home for 20 years and “we fully accept that residing next to a licensed premises will involve a degree of disturbance and occasional unwanted behaviour”.

But she said “we’ve never experienced the intrusion that we’ve faced throughout the last year”, and alleged a social media post had “pinpointed our house as the reason why the club is navigating a licence review – inciting an online witch hunt against our family in an attempt to isolate us from the community”.

“No household should have to endure this type of intrusion,” she added.

Mr Perkins told the committee the extra conditions proposed for the club were “something we would work on” and he would also appoint a new designated premises supervisor “as soon as possible”.

The committee will publish its decision within five working days.