The Rabbit Hotel entertainments licence renewal includes ‘implementation of agreed noise management plan’

The renewed licence was approved at a meeting of the council at Mossley Mill on Monday evening. Colin Kelly, the council’s head of environmental health, told the meeting the hotel’s entertainments licence expired on September 30 although it was permitted to continue providing entertainment in the interim.

He stated that no objections have been received by the council from the PSNI or Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. Mr Kelly reported that residents’ objections related to claims of “undue disturbance caused by increasing frequency of entertainment noise”.

A report to councillors said: “A total of six complainants have raised issues with the entertainment noise and associated disturbance from The Rabbit. Environmental health has been investigating the issue by in-person monitoring and taking recordings from nearby properties. Council officers have monitored noise levels on 12 occasions with six incidents of noise from the entertainment activities audible beyond the boundaries of The Rabbit.

“Upon examination of the complaints received by environmental health between July 2022 and October 2023, it was determined that none of the complaints concerning alleged noise disturbance were assessed as constituting a statutory noise nuisance under The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.”

The report noted an annual renewal inspection for the premises was carried out on August 24. “Having considered all the evidence, including submissions on behalf of the applicant and objectors, as well as our own investigations, officers are of the opinion that there is no substantive evidence to prevent the renewal of the entertainments licence,” it was stated.

Entrance Lobby

It was recommended the licence should be granted with appropriate conditions attached which the applicant must ensure are met. These include the implementation of an agreed noise management plan requiring the construction of a new entrance lobby area.

In addition, access to the external terrace not permitted by patrons between 11pm and 7am and monitoring by The Rabbit management and staff to ensure internal noise levels are kept within agreed boundaries to include The Loft/restaurant/bar/Garden Room and grill/ lounge and The Boathouse, which is in the pipeline.

Objector James Clarke told the meeting he was speaking on behalf of Templepatrick Residents’ Community Group. He stated: “This hotel is in the middle of a residential area with 100 houses in the immediate vicinity. He alleged the noise is “well above excessive limits” which has resulted in complaints to the council and local elected representatives.

“We have tried to contact management directly over 15 times to resolve this. We need a noise management system that automatically cuts power when the sound is above a certain level.” He also suggested that external speakers in the spa area are removed.

Macedon Ulster Unionist Councillor Robert Foster asked how Mr Clarke was affected by noise from the hotel. Mr Clarke claimed: “I live 100 metres from it. There are many nights you are lying in bed and all you hear is that bass noise going through your head. It is so bad you can actually listen to the words of the songs 100 metres away.”

Another Templepatrick resident Angela Barton told the meeting she “seldom experienced any noise disturbance from previous management in their 25 year ownership”. During the past two years, she alleged “noise nuisance and social disturbance” and criticised what she described as “constant bass music”.

She also spoke of what she alleged to be an apparent “rave party” suggesting that it sounded “as if you were in an Ibiza nightclub”. “You just cannot sleep. It is about health and well-being.” She urged the council: “Please end the misery for us.”

Officer’s Recommendations

In response to a query by Glengormley Ulster Unionist Alderman Mark Cosgrove, she replied she would like the officer’s recommendations to be “taken on board”. “We are not out to close or disrupt the business. All we want is to live in harmony and be able to sleep.”

Solicitor Richard McLaughlin told the meeting: “My client purchased the property just before Covid and is still fairly new to the business. They are learning all the time. My client disputes that it has not taken into account the feelings of residents.”

He added that an acoustic engineering report has been carried out and some recommendations are being implemented. Mr McLaughlin went on to say that his client “considers itself to be a member of the community and does not want to alienate all its local customers.”

He noted the hotel employs 149 staff, 60 per cent of whom are from the borough. He continued that his client is “willing to engage with local residents” and is “content for conditions to be attached to the licence”.

Macedon Alliance Cllr Billy Webb MBE asked how the issues would be addressed. “It would have been simpler if someone from the hotel had been present,” he remarked. He was informed there are plans for a porch to be constructed at the bottom of stairs that lead to an entertainment room to provide “double doors to keep noise from escaping”.

The solicitor also said his client is “looking at roof insulation to see if it can be improved” adding “they have taken this very seriously”. He pointed out that “whenever approaches are made to the hotel late at night, there are quite often not enough staff in place; staff are working on the event and not always available to speak”. He stressed that his client is willing to meet but would prefer to meet by arrangement or “hosted neutrally”.

Threemilewater Ulster Unionist Cllr Stephen Cosgrove asked if the measures could be monitored independently. He was advised the hotel’s entertainments licence is “crucial” and management is aware if the terms are breached, they will be returning to the council next year when they would be “in a much more difficult position” or subject to prosecution.

Ald Cosgrove said he regarded the process as “unsatisfactory from members’ perspective” adding he required ” a much more robust report”.

Threemilewater Alliance Cllr Julie Gilmour commented that some bands may want to bring their own system rather than use the one that is provided and as a result she suggested “noise isolation will not make any difference”.

Pool Area

Mr Kelly clarified that the licence application does not cover the pool area and it refers to live music. Cllr Gilmour added: “I would like to be reassured by management at the hotel that they are taking residents’ concerns seriously.” The hotel group’s safety compliance manager told councillors management “wants to engage with the local community”.

Glengormley DUP Ald Paula Bradley commented: “This noise is not something that happened last week. It has been going on for some time, from 2022. It is not something that just happened. It is very sad that it has come to this. With the previous owners, this certainly was not the case.”

Ald Bradley was advised the noise management plan has “changed as the year has gone on” including the removal of two speakers from around the bar area and the business in “in the design stage” of the porch to provide “a buffer”.

Ald Cosgrove asked if it could be mandatory that visiting bands plug into the hotel’s sound system. This suggestion was reiterated by Cllr Webb. Mr Kelly said that “limiters” could form part of conditions although he stressed there still “needs to be checks by the hotel to make sure bands have correctly hooked up to the system throughout the duration of their performance”.

“If complaints come in, we have legislation to investigate those under statutory nuisance. Music in the pool area does not fall into the scope of this entertainment licence but we can investigate and monitor for any statutory nuisance.”

Cllr Webb suggested a deferral for more information. Mr Kelly said: “I think there is a lot of information there already, a lot of useful information about the noise management plan. We have seen an improvement in The Rabbit in terms of reduction of complaints. There have been no complaints in the last six weeks. Complaints previously have been very sporadic.”

He offered an assurance that environmental health will “continue to do monitoring and investigate any complaints in terms of new information”.

The recommendation to approve the application was carried after 26 councillors voted in favour with Cllr Foster, against.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter