Hotel in row over noise to keep licence
A Bath hotel has kept its licence despite a neighbour’s calls to have it stripped away.
Arthur Dyer complained of constant noise and disruption from hundreds of people congregating at The Bird, metres from his Pulteney Road home, where he offers selfcatering accommodation.
Representatives branded his call for the licence to be revoked “plainly disproportionate” and offered to speak to him to address his concerns in private.
They said The Bird was no longer being marketed as a party venue and instead will pitch itself as a boutique destination hotel.
Mr Dyer told Bath and North East Somerset Council’s licensing subcommittee on December 22: “The noise is at such an unreasonable volume the noise can be heard throughout my residence and is almost constant. It can be heard late into the night and throughout the day from 10am, which is clearly unreasonable by any objective test.”
He added that he had lived at his address almost continuously since 1995 and said: “Unfortunately I find it hard to see The Bird will stop their actions on their own, especially given the location and source of the nuisance.”
Mr Dyer told the hearing he had initially tried to engage with The Bird’s new managers and owners but they “kept ignoring me”.
He said the issues directly affected the usability of his property, adding: “It’s not possible for me to sleep there because I’m being woken up by people playing music directly outside or even talking. Up to 500 people sat on the other side of the wall no less than a couple of metres, that’s incredibly disruptive.
“The only reason all this is there is because The Bird wants to make a higher, more concentrated opportunity for them to create revenue and money.”
His neighbour, the Rev Neil Cocking, said The Bird’s current owners had been “trying to make it more like a nightclub”.
Representing the hotel, barrister Leo Charalambides said it is a “well loved, well established and well run licensed premises”.
He said the neighbours’ concerns may be legitimate but a licensing hearing was not the place to consider a “classic” private nuisance complaint.
“Noise may be intrusive, but the fact you can hear it doesn’t make it a statutory or public nuisance,” said Mr Charalambides. “I find it of great concern that having made the effort twice that Mr Dyer hasn’t engaged with us. He is a very difficult and somewhat sensitive neighbour. Be that as it may, we will continue to work with Mr Dyer and our invitation to talk to him remains
open. The request for revocation is plainly disproportionate.
“We’re continuing to develop as a boutique hotel, a destination hotel. The focus is moving to fine dining, being able to drink and rest in good quality rooms. The focus on the party advertising under the previous general manager is being slowly moved away.”
He said the review “starts a conversation” between The Bird and Mr Dyer.
In correspondence shared ahead of the hearing, Jonathan Walker, The Bird’s new manager, said outside speakers had been removed, guests would not be able to use the hot tub after 11pm and immediate action would be taken if disturbances were reported.
The licensing subcommittee decided to take no further action against The Bird.