Club's smokers banned from drinking outside

The first hearing of its kind for the Bognor Regis area saw councillors clamp down on those forced outdoors because of this summer's indoor smoking ban.

The three members of Arun District Council's licensing sub-committee said drinking would not be permitted in the smoking shelter put up in the rear garden of the Felpham Club.

Licensee Philip Pye had erected the structure to enable the members to have a drag in some comfort.

But the presence of the drinkers had caused complaints from neighbours. It has to be closed at 11pm as Mr Pye had agreed with the council before the hearing.

The sub-committee also decided that drinking and any other licensable activities should not take place in the club's car park at the front of the premises. Its members banned ball games as well.

They required him to install a noise monitoring device set to an agreed level to ensure that music did not disturb nearby residents in a further move to restrict noise from the club.

The councillors stated as well that Mr Pye had to put up a large notice on the club's premises in Felpham Way a week before he wanted to hold one of the 12 music events for which they did grant permission.

This was in addition to the notice which Mr Pye had previously agreed to give to the council and the police about the events.

He also has to start holding an annual meeting with the club's neighbours to discuss any concerns they have about his business.

Sub-committee chairman Cllr Mike Clayden (Rustington West) said the tough restrictions were justified "The sub-committee feel that these conditions will address the concerns relating to noise concerns and public nuisance," he explained.

They made their decision after a private discussion lasting some 40 minutes of the near two hours the hearing took last Friday.

Neighbours of the Felpham Club of about 200 members, with about 60 to 70 drinkers at peak times, claimed the smoking ban had subjected them to nights of shouting and swearing as smoking customers stood around outside.

Kevin Holland, who lives next door, said: "The smoking area, since installed, has caused many social nuisance problems. We were pretty well unable to sit in our garden during August and some of September. More and more people congregating outside is causing more and more noise from their drinking."

Bursledon Close resident Andy Mawbey told the sub-committee: "You would stand in my garden in the height of the summer if you want to listen to a lot of foul language until very late at night.

"It does make our life very difficult. I don't want to listen to the language people use these days.

"I have to ask myself if I want to live through the next couple of summers having to close all my windows."

Mr Pye said he put up the shelter in late July. He placed it in full view of the bar to enable him to monitor the activities.

He allowed drinking to take place in the shelter until it was discovered that an omission in his licensing application of November 2005 meant it was illegal.

He had stopped the drinking while his application to permit it was heard by councillors.

The shelter was like a car port with a garden bench for six smokers, he stated.

'The number of people using the shelter has gone down since the early weeks. A lot have cut down on their smoking since the ban came in. We think we have got the situation under control,' he commented.

Mr Pye said that only one or two complaints had been made about the club before his application. Noise levels outside the club were monitored.

He believed the nine complaints which had since been made to the council were an '˜orchestrated campaign'.

He did receive permission from the sub-committee to hold karaoke and disco nights between 8pm and 11pm.

Live music can also take place with Mr Pye describing it as one man and a guitar-style concerts. He had previously agreed seven additional conditions '“ such as sound proofing and double glazed windows '“ to limit the noise from the club.