Neighbours rally against bar’s late-night plans over noise concerns

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a new outdoor area at a town centre bar have met resistance from neighbours, who claim they are suffering from regular late-night noise problems on weekends.

Rosita’s Cafe and Bar opened last year at the old Coffi Vista site at The Twyn, with views overlooking Caerphilly Castle, and offers “fresh, delicious meals” in the daytime before becoming “a hub of dancing [and] drinks” later on.

Its co-owner, Martin Rees, told Caerphilly County Borough Council’s licensing committee he wanted Rosita’s to be “something for everyone” in “a vibrant and growing town”.

The bar already has a licence to play live music and have drinking in outdoor areas, but the new application wanted to add recorded music and an amended outdoor area which includes a new ‘marquee’, he explained.

Council licensing manager Lee Morgan said the plans initially met resistance from council officers, but Mr Rees had agreed to an amended proposal.

This would see the bar able to play live and recorded music indoors until 1am, and any licensable activities – including drinking and music – would be allowed outside until 11pm.

Environmental health officer Lee-Anthony Carpenter said his team had received complaints about Rosita’s but when they attended neighbours’ homes they “haven’t been able to establish a statutory nuisance”.

“I’m not saying they haven’t been able to hear music outside – however, all environmental health officers have reported to me that it’s not been at the level of statutory nuisance,” he told the committee.

But several nearby residents challenged Mr Rees’ claims that Rosita’s already followed policies around noise levels and a cut-off for entry and re-entry.

Kim Newbury told him there was “a big disconnect between what you believe is happening, and what we see is happening”.

“I’m woken up nearly every Friday and Saturday night by the noise from your premises or from people spilling out from your premises”, said Mrs Newbury, who also alleged some people were urinating or vomiting in nearby bushes.

“I’ve been living here for 40 years and I’ve never experienced it as badly,” she said, adding it was “a shame the onus is on residents” to prove there were noise problems.

Another nearby resident, Julie Prosser, said she was “not against Rosita’s”, and had lived in the area for 37 years “without any complaints about any business”.

But she claimed the business had changed from its “original advertisements of being a relaxed all-day dining experience from breakfast to dinner… into a nightclub, indoors and outdoors, until the early hours, every weekend”.

Ms Prosser also questioned how the complaints and evidence submitted by neighbours like herself had not shown a link to statutory nuisance.

“You need first-hand officer evidence,” explained Mr Carpenter. “We have to be able to prove [it] beyond reasonable doubt – that’s why it requires officers to come out.”

‘Robust rules’

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”.

Mr Rees said he acknowledged the “strength of feeling” from residents but said he was “on the front line” trying to manage noise levels – including checking sound levels from residential areas – and wanted to be “a good neighbour”.

The committee retired to consider the evidence and will publish its decision within five working days.

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