Turkish social club's licence to be reviewed after neighbours' noise and smoking complaints

Neighbours have complained about noise levels and the potential for smoke odours at the social club

The club, on Henry Street, had recently been granted a variation on its premises licence which allowed it to continue with the sale of alcohol ahead of a planned extension to the building.

After the changes were allowed at a Northampton Borough Council licensing meeting on August 15, the club was awarded the licence on September 11.

But on the same day, a local neighbour submitted a request to review the licence, raising complaints over noise levels, smoking and litter at the premises.

In a report, which will be seen by councillors, the neighbour states: “On quite a number of occasions we have posted polite notices through the door to ask them to keep the noise down, which they have blatantly ignored.

“They are not respectful to their neighbours when they are banging doors, shouting and generally just being a nuisance especially late at night.”

They also query the opening times, which allow the venue to operate until 2am. Those concerns were echoed by Councillor Graham Walker at the previous meeting, but could not be altered at the hearing after receiving advice from council solicitors.

The neighbour also raises questions over where a proposed outdoor smoking area is set to be located as part of the upcoming planning application, worrying that they ‘won’t be able to open windows because of the odour of smoke’.

At the previous hearing in August, John Birch, representing the licence holder Cahit Menekse, said: "We have to be sensible with our neighbours. In reality, this club sells more Turkish tea than it does beer. It’s a gathering place and the sale of alcohol is minimal and it’s not a loud night premises."

He added that the club was intending to move the entrance and would like to build an extension to provide an open terrace for smoking, which would be 'quite a long way from Henry Street'.

Mr Birch will be representing the social club once again at the latest hearing, which is scheduled to take place at The Guildhall on Wednesday (October 31).

The alcohol and gambling licence sub-committee can choose to keep the licence as it currently is, modify the conditions, exclude certain licensable activities, remove the designated premises supervisor, or even suspend or revoke the licence altogether.