Popular Edinburgh pub shut down after string of noise complaints spanning nearly a decade

Licensing standards officer Tom Veitch said officials first received complaints in 2011

An Edinburgh pub has been shut down by councillors after a string of noise complaints stretching over the best part of a decade fell on deaf ears.

The Village lost its premises licence after being issued with three compliance notices, which were all ignored by management – while licensing officers were flooded with a host of new noise complaints as recently as Sunday for the South Fort Street pub.

Popular Edinburgh pub shut down after string of noise complaints spanning over a decade

Manager Dean Conway will have to reappear before the board in February for a hearing concerning his personal licence. The Village, which must immediately cease trading, had a message on the front door yesterday telling customers that “due to unforeseen circumstances, the pub is closed”.

Licensing standards officer Tom Veitch said officials first received complaints in 2011 – most of which concerned too much noise. The licence was reviewed in 2012 and the management was ordered to install soundproofing and a noise limiter. But the company that owned The Village and also held the premises licence, DHPC Limited, was dissolved in 2014.

Mr Veitch said: “There have been 12 breaches of the noise conditions since December 2018 and subsequently three further complaints since this was written, the most recent of which was on Sunday night.

“The breach of these noise conditions, specifically the noise levels in relation to these, have been escalating despite our advice and compliance notices. The premises does have a history of noise issues going back to the days of the previous licence-holder.”

Alistair Macdonald, representing Mr Conway and The Village, appealed for the licence to be transferred to a new operator.

He added: “The landlord will find another tenant, he will apply for a new licence. This is to keep the licence in force

“I have said to my clients that this place cannot have live music – I think live performances are out. There is a limit on the system but the problem with the DJs is they are bringing in their own systems which then overrides the limiter.”

But councillors rejected the plea and revoked the licence, meaning the pub cannot trade.

Cllr Joanna Mowat said there have been a “pattern of breaches”, adding: “This is causing severe irritation and nuisance to the people who are living around it – I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

“To tie ourselves in knots about getting the transfer when we have repeated breaches, I think we have been played for fools.”