Jools Holland in bid to silence wedding venue next door (even though it hosted his big day!)
AS ONE of Britain’s best-known musicians, you might think Jools Holland could put up with a bit of noise coming from the wedding venue next door – especially given that it’s where he held his own marriage.
But Cooling Castle Barn in Kent could now have its licence to sell alcohol and play music revoked following a long-running dispute with the 60-year-old star over noise.
The venue, which has hosted weddings for nearly 20 years and employs 80 staff, said it is facing an uncertain future after Holland applied to Medway Council to have its licence reviewed. The firm’s general manager said Holland had ‘become so sensitive that any noise is too much noise’.
The performer has lived in Cooling Castle, near Rochester, since 2002, and used the venue’s facilities next to his home when he married his wife Christabel in 2005.
But, in a letter to the council, Holland said: ‘There are consistent disturbances every day from early in the morning until late at night.’
He kept a diary of incidents from April to June last year, and commissioned noise consultants, whose assessment found the sound was ‘not within acceptable limits’.
The application, written by Paul Loasby, an agent of the Holland family, called for stricter curbs on noise, including a restriction preventing deliveries between 8am and midday.
Mr Loasby said: ‘Despite numerous letters … calls and meetings with the management, the adverse impacts of the operation of Cooling Castle Barn continue to blight the lives of its nearest neighbours.’
Holland said: ‘This is simply about containing noise and disturbance, which I’m sure can be resolved so we can all move forward together as good neighbours.’
The director and general manager of Cooling Castle Barn, Rebecca Collins, said: ‘Losing the licence itself wouldn’t shut us down but not being able to sell alcohol or play recorded or live music means we wouldn’t be a successful wedding venue.
She added: ‘It’s a very worrying time for us all. There are members of staff putting off extensions or buying a new house.
‘He complained 15 days out of 100. He wants us to be silent.
‘In his diary he says he can hear high heels walking up the path. I can’t do anything about that.’
The application will be discussed by the council tomorrow.