Noisy restaurant

[PineNutPine]

NC for this. And I know it’s AIBU but please don’t make me feel bad (eg why did you move there in the first place) as I haven’t been able to stop crying.

We moved into our rented house a few years ago and it is a few doors away from a cafe. It used to be a very nice quiet neighbourhood cafe. Last year it got new owners and the council agreed to let them have tables and chairs outside on our quiet road and it turned more into an outdoor drinking place. People would perhaps get a snack and then drink and be quite loud, and this is on our street!

The residents of the road (including me) complained to the council asking for their outdoor seating to be taken away. Because every night when the weather is nice I can just hear people being loud, plates etc hanging and smoke going into my house. The council said because we didn’t log it officially last summer (instead just kept asking the owners to keep the noise down/ask people to stop sitting on our windows smoking) that they cannot stop the outdoor seating. We really tried with the council and now sadly myself and my neighbours who are also renting will have to move. I feel so let down by the council. And now the restaurant owners are being very rude to us which is creating an awkward atmosphere.

As I mentioned we are renting and we are really actively looking to buy but nothing has come up. I don’t know how I’ll handle the noise again this summer. I sort of thought I’d have moved by now.

I also have young children who are unphased by the noise but it is making me miserable and I dread summer. How can I make myself feel better? I can see them “building” their outdoor area and I just feel sad that we have another summer of this. I keep checking the weather app hoping for cold/rain just so I can get an evening of peace once they have their outdoor area up.

If you aren't ready to buy, rent somewhere else. This situation will only change by you moving, you won't get the seating taken away.

This is very true. I just feel really let down that they won’t remove the seating. They had over ten complaints!

Start looking hard for a new rental.

The problem is we are really ready to buy, the ideal place just hasn’t come up. So if we move it’ll be uplifting the children for perhaps a few months (if we find a new home to buy soon). We go on multiple viewings etc but nothing we love just yet.

Be aware looking to buy there is always a compromise to be made. Just make sure you are being realistic about what is likely to come to the market. So many people stay in rented for years waiting for a dream property that doesn’t exist.

Yes but how many happy customers? If it's loud and busy, it's obviously really popular so they probably have more support than opposition.
I do sympathise though OP, it sounds like a nightmare. Our nearby pub decided to hang bright, bright pink lights outside which shone into all the rooms at the back of our house. Even the blackout curtains we had let the light seep in and at night it felt like we were living in a Lazer tag arena. All the houses nearby complained but the owners didn't care. Fortunately they went out of business and eventually the fairy lights were switched off.

Oh gosh that would’ve annoyed me so much. I’m so glad you don’t have to deal with that any more! It is popular but more with tourists. Hardly any locals go there!

Maybe you should invest in a loud sound system and leave your doors and windows open.

Can you negotiate with the cafe owners over e.g. not having outside seating past 9pm on a weekday? They won’t want to risk losing their long term license due to neighbour complaints and may be perfectly willing to come to an arrangement which everyone is a bit happier with.

We have tried numerous times. They keep saying that they have approval from the council and that they need to make money and so to take it to the council if we have issues. And tbh now that the council have heard our objections and still taken their side they think they have the council “on side”.

The council will have attached conditions to the premises license. You need to get a copy of their license to sell alcohol. And look carefully at the conditions. If they are in breach of them, you contact the licensing team. Licensing is an incredibly powerful arm of the council.

You could also log a noise complaint with the environmental health team. Licensing often cross reference with that team.

You need to say to the EH team that you think there is a statutory nuisance. Theu often want at least 2 weeks of diary entries of the nuisance to support an investigation.

Statutory nuisance requires evidence that you cannot enjoy your dwelling. So the noise has to be heard indoors generally. The wording is something like detrimental to the material enjoyment of your dwelli g and this is what you/the council will need to prove. This is juch lengthier than a breach of Licensing conditions. Any whiff of a breach of those and the license can be called in for a review PDQ.

Hope this helps.

What time does the cafe close? If people are sitting on your windowsills, I would buy a few jars of cheap clear honey and smear it liberally where they sit.

I’d do this, blast them with non stop AC/DC 😁

Knowing my luck they’ll start dancing along to it 😂😂😂

It closes at 10 but regularly people are outside until 11 and their outdoor seating licence is until 11.

You can start officially logging it with the council now.
It sounds really awful and I'd be particularly furious about people sitting on your windows smoking. I'd be telling them every time and maybe getting spikes or something fitted to the windowsills so they can't sit there, or window boxes or something.
I wouldn't rush to buy somewhere or rent somewhere else just to get away from it. Take your time so you don't make a hasty decision. It would be a right pain to rent somewhere else and have to move and then a few months later you find a place to buy and have to move again.

Enlist your local Councillors to help. Ask them to investigate breaches of their licence (if there are any). They can be called in and conditions attached to their licence which if they breach them - could mean them losing their licence.

I'm sorry your council doesn't seem to care about residents.
Other options:

• Print some A5 leaflets and leave them on the tables/give to the customers, then just walk off, don't engage in argument.
• Make this a big issue on your local FB page. Photos, etc. Copy in your councillors etc. and local media.

I’ve spoken to our councillors who said they couldn’t help, all they suggested I do is go to the council. A neighbour has actually written to those locally but some people seem to not mind the noise it seems and actually told the restaurant that a letter had come through asking neighbours to lodge complaints/tell their councillors - so some people may not be on our side. Relations with the restaurant since that letter have been really really sour. I hate living here.

We have window boxes and they lean against them!!!

You need to start shouting at people loudly.

We do and then They move but then keep coming back. Its also staff from the restaurant.

Just saw the owner who had a go at me for objecting. Argh

Stink bombs.

There will be a licensing committee, your cllrs are lying to you. That’s what they are for.

When we bought our house nearly 8 years ago we didn't love it, however, we agreed:
Quiet road
Driveway to fit both cars
Affordable monthly mortgage
Ok layout inside

If we had waited to love a house (and afford it) we would prob still be waiting.

In your situation I would be listing what you absolutely cannot compromise on / what you could, and concentrate your minds. It's doesn't seem like there is any quick solution to the noisy restaurant and people standing outside your front windows smoking ( unbelievably rude).