Hotel paid out refunds due to noisy pub next door

Powys County Council’s Licensing sub-committee held a meeting on Wednesday, March 20 to review the licence of The Log Cabin.

The council has received complaints about noise levels coming from the pub’s beer garden in the early hours of the morning.

The Log Cabin has a licence with a closing time at 2.30am on weekends, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Closing time is 12.30am from Monday to Thursday.

Andrea Murdock, the owner or The Commodore Hotel which is next door to The Log Cabin, had made the complaint last August.

Following advice from the council she kept a diary of noise incidents.

This led to the council’s environmental health department investigating the complaint in October and November last year.

Senior environmental health officer Paul Bufton explained that a box that measures noise was put into one of the hotel’s bedrooms.

Noise monitoring took place over several nights from the end of October and up to November 7 and extracts were played at the hearing.

Mr Bufton said: “There was enough justification for us to take the next step and install a noise monitoring kit which we did.

“The box takes a noise level automatically every second.”

Mr Bufton told the hearing that the patterns of noise backed up the evidence contained in the diary kept by the complainant of: “loud late night noise” which is also “a regular occurrence.”

Mr Bufton said: “If you were occupying this room with that level of noise it would not be reasonable to expect any sleep.”

“We don’t want anybody in that outdoor area at all after midnight.”

Gareth Jones appearing on behalf of The Log Cabin licensee, Ken Sanders, explained that both The Commodore and Log Cabin had been owned by Mr Sanders in the past.

But from 2012 Ms Murdock had leased the hotel eventually buying it outright in 2017.

The premises licence had been separate since 2012.

Mr Jones explained that there had been a nightclub at the back of the hotel.

Mr Jones said: “It was a very busy part of Llandrindod where you have lots of people descending on the Log and the nightclub, lots of noise for many years.”

He told the panel that there is a nearby bank cashpoint where many people wait to hail taxis late at night.

Many people also walk down the street to other pubs or a nearby takeaway for food.

Mr Jones added that Mr Sanders had last month made an “offer” to employ an extra door supervisor at the pub.

Police licensing officer Rod Bowen told the committee that police had been called to deal with noise complaints and anti-social behaviour issues at The Log Cabin, 36 times during a six year period.

Mr Bowen said: “I wouldn’t consider that excessive given the late licence that the Log Cabin does have.”

Complainant Andrea Murdock said: “My main concern is the comfort of my guests and that they get a good night’s sleep.

“I have had to refund hundreds of pounds to people and families with babies coming down in the middle of the night as they cannot sleep.”

Councillors then retired to deliberate.

Committee chairwoman Councillor Beverley Baynham said: “We’ve considered all the information and come to the conclusion that there is a level of noise.

Changes that Mr Sanders will need to make include hiring another door supervisor from 9pm “until the premises are cleared”.

Councillor Baynham added: “The outdoors area will be restricted to a smoking only area from midnight with no drinks to be consumed there after this time.

“The outside door to be closed from midnight and the speakers to be relocated from the adjoining walls.”

Mr Sanders has 21 days to appeal against the decision.