LOUD drunken revellers are making Stroud residents’ lives a misery as they have to put up with them running on car rooftops and throwing empty pizza boxes being into their gardens.
People who live along Lansdown in Stroud raised their concerns amid plans for a new bar to open in the street.
Adam McVay has been granted a premises licence by Stroud District Council to be able to sell alcohol at 11 Lansdown.
He asked for permission to sell alcohol for consumption on and off the premises seven days a week.
He initially wanted permission for his company Holy Water to be able to sell alcohol from noon until 11pm Monday and Tuesday, until midnight Wednesday and Thursdays and until 1 am Fridays and Saturdays.
On Sundays this would stop at 11pm.
He also requested permission to be able to play films and music at the site and provide late refreshments.
However, the proposals sparked concerns among several residents who feared he was going to create a late night party venue where drinkers would gather after the town’s pubs close.
But Mr McVay told Monday’s (October 21) licensing sub-committee meeting it was not his intention to create such a venue and he was happy to close at 11pm.
He explained the prime purpose of the application is for him to be able to sell alcohol at what would be the headquarters of his events company.
The site would also be used for training people who are looking for a career in hospitality.
“It is my events company, it is the HQ for that,” he said.
“It’s a space I can give back and show people kombucha, and Holy Water brand.”
Janet Westgarth, who lives nearby, spoke of the drunken antisocial behaviour residents have to put up with at weekends.
“On Friday and Saturday night it’s very difficult to sleep in the front [of homes] in Lansdown,” she said.
“I always think I’m the end of the pizza run because I get this lovely packet of pizza thrown in my garden.
“We get people walking down Lansdown in the evening. Often I have to sleep in another room because of the noise.
“We have had people running on the top of the cars, denting and damaging them. We have had people banging doors, shouting.
“It is a residential area very close to where we live. There is not a venue as close as number 11.
“There hasn’t been one but we still have a lot of annoyance. We have a lot of elderly people, children.
“I know of one elderly person who is so upset they say if there is disturbance he will just have to move.
“If this were to happen, I feel our community would be broken up.”
Mr McVay said it would not be a party venue for young people and the target age range of people going to the bar is between 30 and 50 years old.
It would be a space for community and the future of drinking such as the fermentation of kombucha, he told the licensing committee on October 21.
“This isn’t going to be a late night bar where we are doing shots of Jägerbomb and everything.
“This is an education bar where I’m training people. We haven’t got any big brands in there.
“All the brands I’ve got in there are cider, vodkas and whiskeys all from the UK.”
Sean Roe, record store owner who lives above the site, said his concerns were about noise.
“There’s no sound proofing at present between the two spaces. You can hear people talking.
“Sound travels incredibly easily.” He also raised concerns over the 1.30am late night and sound travelling up into the apartment.”
Mr McVay said he would be happy to provide soundproofing at his own expense. And he also said he was happy to close at 11pm.
The committee decided to grant the premises licence with an end time daily of 11.30pm.
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