What can we do about pub across the road from our house.

[pubissues]

We live on a fairly quiet residential street. We live directly opposite a pub. It’s been there for years. We’ve lived here 10 years and never had a problem with it before. We have always heard some noise but nothing excessive. Landlords have always been respectful of their neighbours.

It changed hands about a year ago. New owner has invested loads in the pub and done it up. It’s become massively popular which is great for the new owner but rubbish for us. Obviously with the football it’s even busier.

They are now licensed to be open till 12.30 Friday and Saturday nights. They are slow at kicking people out and never seem to ask people to move on if they are standing outside talking (it is more like screaming because people are loud when they’ve been drinking!) It’s often after 1.30am before it quietens down. They have put 4 portaloos outside the pub, directly in front of our lounge windows. It’s still not enough toilets so there are people constantly leaving the pub, going down the road slightly and pissing in the hedges. Last night they were coming into ours and the neighbours drive and pissing on our drive. People congregate out the front of the pub all night long and are never asked to go back inside. They seem to allow people to leave carrying their glasses and glass bottles. Which are then dropped and smashed all the way along the road. The pub only has a couple of parking spaces out the front. There is a big car park about 5 mins walk away which is free in the evening. But people park all the way along our road including blocking drives so we can’t get our cars out.

we bought a house opposite a pub, we don’t expect silence. But this is ridiculous. The new manger actually went round to us and all the neighbours this week to apologise as there had been complaints (not from me.) I told him my issues and he said he would try to improve things, but I’m not seeing any evidence of this. What can we do? I don’t want to mess up someone’s business but this is getting out of hand and it’s getting worse not better. I’m going to go and speak to the manager today. But if nothing changes who do we go to? Is it the license people at the council, or is it a noise complaint? Can we raise the parking and littering with anyone? I really don’t want to start making official complaints but I don’t know what else to do at the moment.

They have got security in for busy night. When the manager came round this week he said he has asked the landlord to have security all busy nights. There were 2 security people out last night. They did nothing to stop people blocking the road in front of the pub with their parking, or people pissing on the street or leaving with glasses, bottles of wine, pitchers etc. They just sat out front on their phones ignoring it all!

Thank you for all the helpful suggestions about licensing rules, and who to contact. I’m making notes.

For those not believing the OP, I can confirm this does happen and it happened to me. I'm also prepared to name names.

We lived near the White Hart very happily for some years. Then it was taken over and turned into a steak house and pub called the Vermont Exchange. They were allowed to take meal orders up till midnight...cue loud boozy people turning out at 1.30 - 2 am, standing in the carpark, girls screaming their alcohol amplified hilarity etc etc...in fact, all the anti social behaviour listed by the OP.

Complaints were ignored and action was taken only when someone defecated on the doorstep of a nearby gunsmith premises - then the Police became involved because of the perceived extra risk.

Eventually the council and MP got involved and the local magistrates were within a whisker of withdrawing their licence. Only the threat of job losses to local people and desperate promises from the landlords allowed the business to continue. Things did calm down considerably after that but we had had enough of being scared out of our sleep by piercingly shrill screaming. We sold up to a young couple who frequented the place anyway and were thrilled to be able to invite their friends back a hop and a skip away after their evening out.

That was 40 years ago but we never forgot, or forgave, the disruption and financial cost to us and ever after refused to buy a property within a mile of any pub or place with the potential to become licenced premises such as village halls.

It is a very unhappy position to be in and OP has both my understanding and sympathy.

“ ……. I really don’t want to negatively affect someone’s business…..”
I think you are showing too much concern for someone’s business @pubissues
They obviously don’t give a sh*t about you or the other residents. ☹️

Did you actually read the post. ? It was ok with previous owners , the new owners are causing problems.

We lived opposite a pub for four years and the landlord was considerate of the neighbours at all times. Allowing customers to act the way you’re experiencing, OP, DESERVES to get that landlord in trouble.

Also, what the FUCK is wrong with people who can’t control or moderate their behaviour when they’ve had a drink? Pissing in front gardens and smashing bottles and glasses is disgusting, disrespectful and they need banning from the pub.

If a pub can’t control their customers, and prevent them from making the neighbourhood hate them, it shouldn’t be there.

You and all your neighbours coordinate letters to the pub (keep records) and the council complaining about noise and nuisance. Keep at it and the council will be on it pretty quickly (at least in my experience and my council is rubbish). It's the volume and consistency of complaints that will carry the case for you here. The fact he came round to apologise shows even he knows it is bad. Peeing on driveways for crying out loud - get yourselves organised and object.

Not really. I wouldn't expect any establishment to cause grown adults pissing in the street/on my drive, accepting that my drive is blocked in with cars, breaking glass in the street

Vile behaviour and just because op bought a house by a pub, she shouldn't be expected to accept that behaviour

A bit of extra late night noise and increased footfall? Yeah, course. But vile, antisocial behaviour? Nah, no-one should have to accept that

It isn't really. These things are about tolerable limits. A church, pub, primary school or whatever can't cause whatever public nuisance they want and expect residents to suck it up because they "chose to live nearby".

I live opposite a primary school. People arriving at pickup and drop off, playground noises, sports day etc all fine. Parents parking on my driveway - not fine.

Approach council, as a group of neighbours and ask them to pressure the pub to follow the permits.

Pub needs to abide closure times, noise limits, facilities like toilets.
Local Poluce can also visit soon after closing time to move people on from roudy disturbances and book for peeing in public.

Install cameras.

Keep at it until pub invests more into loos and security.

I live opposite a pub and a change of ownership to a twat is something we hope never happens, but understand it could. To be fair at the moment it's the kind of pub where there's a greater chance of the road being blocked by Morris Dancers this will be happening again soon , but if it became an issue I would be straight onto the council/police/ licencing team with complaints and evidence.

Is it just during World Cup matches or is it at other times too? I used to work in a pub and hated working England matches as some of the customers behaviour could be quite feral. I personally wouldn't go and talk to the manager myself. Most would be fine and listen to your concerns, but some are absolute arseholes and I wouldn't put it past some to actively encourage the regulars to piss in your driveway. I'd just go straight to the council licensing team, they should take these type of complaints seriously. I would also report to 101, the police might send a car round to check what's happening at closing time if they have one spare.

I would also be tempted to bin any glasses I found on my property or in the road. They will soon start to run out of them and have to switch to plastic until they can be replaced, which is what they should be using if people are taking them out into the street.

I disagree. Firstly have they got planning permission for portaloos. Get in touch with the local council. Just because it's a pub they haven't got the right to make as much noise as they like. It might be worth clubbing together with the neighbours to engage a solicitor.

Agree with posters saying contact local councillors and licensing officers at council. Used to sit on Licensing committee and we were quite prepared to reduce hours, put restrictions on etc. especially if complaints supported by police.

They are very responsible for their guests behaviour when they leave.

I know because my local pub nearly had to close because of one house making multiple complaints about patrons and their drunken antics.

Tell the licensing department from the council. If people are urinating on people's property then that would fully be the pubs responsibility. Well obviously the person could get in trouble if caught in the act.

Surely the portaloos need planning permission? They must be an eyesore.

I'd report to the licensing authority. The landlord should be afraid of having his licence withdrawn or altered. If you could group together with others on the street, that should help.

This sounds like exactly the behaviour you'd expect when living opposite a pub. Most certainly when England are in the world cup. YABU.

You are being very tolerant and agree that you don’t want a local business going under. However the landlord doesn’t sound like he is able to control his patrons; leaving late with glasses etc. would he be able to manage the place if a fight broke out. You don’t want it becoming a place where people go because the landlord is soft.
I would report it to licensing as soon as possible. He wouldn’t loose the license immediately but it would give him a much needed prompt to run the place
properly. Also contact you local ward councillor about it. Details will on the local council website.

Contact council.
Surely the porta loos are a temporary thing
Surely the pub could pick up the litter the following day is there a council collection or refuse clean up service they can send out?
Why not ask if the license extended hours were for thr sports when you sae the manager?

This hits the nail on the head. Living near a business doesn’t give them the right to do whatever they want whilst you have to just put up with it.

Allowing people so drunk they can’t control their bladder to take glass out the pub and congregate outside at kicking out isn’t acceptable. There’s a risk of harm (eg fights, etc) to the patrons and it unfairly impacts local residents.

They absolutely could do more as well; I’ve been to bars where the staff move you along outside and they give out lollies to stop people shouting. Most pubs and bars don’t have this issue, at least not to this extreme, because they manage it properly.

Obviously, their behaviour is way off what you would expect. Complain to the council.
But still, you bought a house opposite a pub... I kind of thought it was Rule 101 of House Buying: Don't buy next to or opposite a pub or school.

So what you’re saying is you bought a house opposite a pub and have been extremely lucky regards noise thus far but now your luck has run out. Time to either accept it or move.

You and your neighbours sontact your local councillor and ask how you can get licensing conditions applied retrospectively.

I was at a function in a pub in a residential area a.few months ago. The band had a hard stop at 11 and the.garden closed at 10.45. Everyone had to be inside then with the doors closed. Music was still be played through the AV system and we were still dancing and spending at the bar.

All perfectly reasonable measures in my view. Everyone should be able to coexist.

I would also check who owns it and contact them. Is it owned by a private individual either freehold or leasehold, is it a managed house (owned by a brewery/pubco who then employ all the staff), or a tenancy where the tenant rents it from the brewery/pubco and runs it themselves with their own staff?

If managed or tenancy you can also go to the brewery / pubco and outline your concerns - there will be an area manager for the pub as well as obviously being able to raise the issues higher up the line.

So as well as licensing, I would raise it to the relevant owners.

I would leave it until the World Cup is finished & see if it settles down, if not, I'd do this & contact the council basically with your post in email format. It should be pretty obvious we're ti send if, but if not, copy in any relevant department.

it's exactly as you said you know you bought opposite a pub and don't expect absolute silence but you've had many years of reasonable pub behaviour and this is a change since the new owners you have every right to raise a complaint. I'd be raising a huge one about the portaloos opposite my house.