Host has noise abatement order overturned

A licensee in East Sussex has succeeded in having a noise abatement order overturned.

Tim Whitehouse of the White Hart in Lower Horsebridge, said his licence allowed him to run six outdoor events per year at the pub.

However, following just one complaint from a local resident on 22 August 2009, he was served a noise abatement order by Wealden District Council.

Noise abatement orders require the recipient to ensure noise disturbances don't continue, otherwise they could face prosecution.

On receiving the complaint back in August, a council inspector told Whitehouse noise was audible 300m away from the pub, a claim the host dismissed as "absolute nonsense".

After other witnesses assured the licensee they had not been disturbed by the noise, and on seeking legal advice, Whitehouse took the case before Eastbourne Magistrates Court.

The magistrate upheld his appeal against the order, although the licensee had to pay his own costs of £6,000, which he hopes to recoup at a later stage.

A spokesman from Wealden District Council said: "We issued a statutory noise abatement notice to the pub, but these can be subject to appeal, which is what happened in this case."