Bar on busy street in Northampton could be closed down after string of complaints from neighbours
A bar on one of Northampton’s busiest streets could be closed down after a string of complaints from neighbours about noise and disturbance.
Maya Lounge, at 32 Wellingborough Road, formerly home to The Volunteer pub, is facing a licence review following an application by Northamptonshire Police.
A report to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) says 19 complaints were made by 18 different households between May 2025 and January this year.
Residents complained about loud music and late-night noise, with some submitting recordings as evidence, according to the report.
Council officers visited the premises, which opened in May 2025, on July 19 last year to monitor the situation.
The report says: “Due to the severity of the nuisance that council officers witnessed, a noise abatement notice was served.”
Despite that, further complaints were made in August and September, and monitoring equipment was later installed inside neighbouring homes, including a bedroom, to measure noise levels over several days, according to the report.
Complaints continued into the Christmas period, with the report noting “evidence of nuisance… on multiple dates and times”.
In January, officers carried out further checks inside a nearby property and concluded there had been a breach.
Officers said they were “satisfied that a breach of the abatement notice… had occurred”, the report reads.
The venue’s director, Mr Idriz Noka, was interviewed under caution in December as part of the investigation.
According to environmental health officers, he said he had instructed a noise consultant but was unable to provide evidence during the interview. A report has still not been submitted to the council.
Officers say further complaints were received even after that meeting.
In a statement, environmental health said: “The premises continues to cause a public nuisance and a statutory nuisance, despite our actions and contact with the company and its director Mr Noka.
"Mr Noka has taken no definitive steps to address our concerns and is not in our view complying with the conditions on the existing licence.”
The officer adds: “For the purposes of this review, it is also important to state that this premises has no planning permission for the covered shisha area. This is being investigated separately by the council’s planning enforcement team.”
The council’s health protection team has also alleged breaches of smoke-free laws inside the venue.
The venue is currently licensed to sell alcohol from 10am to midnight Monday to Thursday, until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, and until midnight on Sundays.
It can stay open until 12.30am during the week and Sundays, and until 3.30am at weekends.
Councillors will now decide what action to take at a hearing on Thursday March 26.
They can change the licence conditions, suspend it for up to three months, remove the designated premises supervisor, or revoke the licence entirely.