Bridgnorth cocktail bar prevented from hosting outdoor event due to concerns

A town centre cocktail bar and restaurant has been prevented from hosting another outside event this weekend.

Cocktail Club Ltd - who run the Greenhouse in Bridgnorth - applied for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) so it could hold a DJ-led music event for up to 499 people from 2pm to 8.30pm on Saturday, September 5.

However, a counter notice has been issued by Shropshire Council that blocks the TEN after its Licensing Act Sub-Committee heard concerns raised by the environmental protection team regarding previous events.

One of its officers, Robert Bowland, said noise complaints were received from two residents of Tudor Court in relation to the 'I love the 80s' outdoor event on Sunday, May 24, while an additional six residents complained about the 'El Casa White' event” held on Saturday, June 6.

Environmental protection officers therefore undertook noise monitoring of two events held outside of a TEN - the 'El Casa Party' on July 18, and the Indie 'Indie Bash Disco' on July 25.

"The noise from the events was sufficiently intrusive and impactful on the residents of nearby properties," said Mr Bowland.

The added that the abatement notice was the first that had been served on a licenced premises in five years.

Mr Bowland told the committee the venue’s speakers were the kind expected at a festival and not for a pub beer garden in the middle of a market town.

Mr Bowland compared the “four huge speakers” to a high performance Ferrari and events encouraged the crowds “to be louder and make more noise.”

The officer added that the operators had “shown contempt for the neighbours and the council”, and it was time to bring noisy events to close “to give the residents some peace.”

In the past three weeks, Robbie Williams and UB40 tribute acts have played at the venue, that was previously the home of Prezzo and The Old Swan pub.

Therefore, if this Saturday's event were to go ahead, it would mean that outside music entertainment would have taken place there in four out of six weekends.

Responding to Mr Bowland’s comparison of the loudspeakers to a Ferrari, David Howells, a director of Cocktail Bar Ltd, said the appearance was “more aesthetic” and that a Ferrari “can be driven at 30mph.”

Fellow director Andy Rhodes added that the venue - the "oldest licensed premise in Bridgnorth" - had “failed in every iteration’ and the owners were investing hundreds of thousands of pounds and making a go of it.

“I do not feel we are abusing the garden,” he said.

“Tolerance has to be both ways.”

Mr Rhodes added that he felt the council was showing a “bit of prejudice” because the operators had run other venues in Wolverhampton.

He said those had been closed, making the Bridgnorth venue the last one that they had.

“This is not Wolverhampton,” said Mr Rhodes, saying that a “pre formed opinion” could have been made by the council “that we were the big, bad villains and this is not the case.”