ON this day in 2021, a resident of Prestatyn raised concerns about disruptive noise emanating from the Royal Victoria pub located below her apartment.
During a licensing hearing, the woman, identified only as Alison, described the booming bass from the pub as “like Chinese water torture.”
She made her comments to a Denbighshire council licensing sub-committee reviewing the pub's licence following complaints from leaseholders living above the establishment on Sandy Lane.
The hearing was convened after Mark O’Grady, company secretary of Victoria Apartments (Prestatyn) Ltd, requested a reduction in the pub's licensed hours from 3am to 11pm Sunday through to Thursday, and midnight on Friday and Saturday.
He also called for “appropriate and decent quality sound proofing between the licensed premises and the first floor.”
The meeting had previously been postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions, and residents complained that loud music often continued into the early hours, accompanied by drunken disturbances and anti-social behaviour adversely affecting their quality of life.
Alison highlighted the “vibrations” she experienced, noting the increasing intensity of the bass as she exited her flat.
“From the bedroom area when we are laying there it can go on at 1am and you can feel the thumping and vibrations,” she explained.
“It's like Chinese water torture.”
The hearing also revealed that numerous complaints had previously been made to the council about the noise.
Only once had residents been offered recording equipment to capture the disturbances, which was declined as the noise subsided between January and March.
Deana Harrison, a director of the apartment company, revealed: “You can’t open your windows in summer because of the noise. I’ve upgraded the windows but that doesn’t help.”
Leaseholder Liz Davies described the ongoing issue: “It’s been going on for years and years,” she stated, adding that the manager's responsiveness to her complaints was temporary, with the noise returning shortly after.
North Wales Police informed the hearing that while there had been multiple recorded incidents, the pub had adhered to its licensing conditions.
Darren Kelly of Admiral Taverns offered mediation, suggesting the potential for sound-proofing measures. However, he felt a reduction in hours would negatively affect the business, adding: “We believe it’s all down to management and a new manager might come in.”
Ultimately, the sub-committee imposed a new licence condition mandating that live and recorded music cease at midnight and required the pub to collaborate with council authorities to implement sound-proofing measures within six months.
The full ruling would be communicated to all parties within five days, along with details on the right to appeal.
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