West Northants Council has deferred plans to convert the Northampton Sports Bar on Gold Street into 13 flats

Plans to partly demolish a vacant town centre sports bar and build 13 flats in its place have been temporarily blocked due to concerns raised about the noise impact from neighbouring bars and clubs.

The Northampton Sports Bar on Gold Street has been disused since it was forced to close down more than four years ago. Applicant Spearhead Holdings applied to West Northants Council (WNC) to retain the ground floor of the property for commercial use, while converting the first floor and adding a second and third level to house the apartments.

The three floors of flats would include 10 one-bed and three two-bed apartments. Tenants would access the flats from Adelaide Place, while the commercial unit entrance would be on Gold Street.

Developers have asked for permission to convert the upper floors of the long-vacant building into town centre flats.
Credit: Nadia Lincoln LDRS — Developers have asked for permission to convert the upper floors of the long-vacant building into town centre flats. Credit: Nadia Lincoln LDRS

placeholder image — Developers have asked for permission to convert the upper floors of the long-vacant building into town centre flats. Credit: Nadia Lincoln LDRS

A previous application to convert the same building into 14 apartments was refused partly because the noise impact was not properly dealt with. WNC’s environmental health team stated the noise mitigation in the new scheme would be “acceptable”.

Discussing the plans at a meeting on Thursday (February 6), members heard from local businesses who shared their fears that the proximity of the residential flats to their nightclubs could open them up to noise complaints from future residents and jeopardize their premises.

Simon Thomson, the owner of Elysium nightclub, on Horseshoe Street, said: “We’ve been running 24 years in the town. There’s only three nightclubs left in the town centre built, all three of those are built around this block of flats, there’s myself, Escape and on the other side there’s 43.

“If this application goes through our venue will be closed down- there’s no way you can mitigate against sub-bass.”

Dan Kitunohe, the owner of the Escape nightclub also objected to the housing plans, sharing concerns that their business could receive noise complaints if the mitigation in the scheme failed or was not good enough.

Cllr Sue Sharps shared concerns that the clubs in the vicinity of the plans could be put ‘at risk’.

She commented: “I do not want to see a local business not in this area. It is about looking after businesses, looking after residents, looking after what is there now and what could be there in the future and making sure that we build better.

“Fundamentally, even though mitigations are being made once the building is occupied, complaints to the business, ie the clubs, can result in a noise abatement notice. Fundamentally, this will then threaten the businesses in the area.”

Officers said that they could not “rule out that possibility” of a noise abatement notice, which is a legal document that instructs someone to stop or reduce a noise that is considered a nuisance, but said that the conditions in the planning agreements “dramatically” reduce the possibility of one being served.

Cllr Harry Barratt proposed the group defer the application until the applicants provide more information on the proposed noise insulation and ventilation system, and for the papers to come back to committee with an expert present. Councillors unanimously voted in support of the deferral.