Last Pub Standing in Norwich applies for longer music hours

The owners of a city centre pub hoped to host later outdoor music events despite previous noise complaints from neighbours.

The Last Pub Standing, in Norwich, applied to the council for an amendment to its premises licence to permit the playing of music in the garden until midnight.

The King Street bar currently has to shut off entertainment in the garden at 22:00 BST, or 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, under an agreement made less than two years ago.

Council officials have raised concerns about the application, pointing to a history of noise complaints and enforcement action which previously troubled the venue. It will be discussed at a Norwich City Council meeting.

A previous premises licence was lost when a company set up by the owner of the pub, Simon Peters, with a business colleague, went into administration.

Due to a split between the pair, a new company was formed by Mr Peters and the licence was transferred.

However, an administrative mistake meant the venue was mistakenly operating without a licence for some time before it secured a new licence in January 2024.

This licence was currently in use, but Mr Peters said it was handed to him with “more onerous terms” than the original, including strict limits on the use of the garden and the shutting of windows.

His new application sought to extend the hours permitted for the playing of recorded music in the back garden to 23:00, or midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

He also hoped to secure permission to leave windows open when entertainment is playing, to prevent overheating inside the building.

Mr Peters was given temporary permission to trial these later hours over the Easter period and said no complaints were received during this time.

The application is set to be considered at a meeting of Norwich City Council’s licensing sub-committee on Wednesday.

Ahead of that decision, the authority’s environmental protection team have objected on public nuisance grounds, with an officer saying it is “important to note that an abatement notice” is in place in relation to noise.

The objection added that a revised noise impact assessment would be required.