Earlier this week, pub tenant John Wedgebury applied to a St Helier Parish Assembly for their support in the lifting of conditions attached by the Licensing Bench to his pub licence preventing any live entertainment on the premises which shares a gable end with a cottage.Representing the licensee, solicitor John Bisson told the assembly that his client was a small businessman whose family, including a young son, lived above the premises.He did not want to have bad relations with his neighbours but was trying to make a reasonable living out of this small pub where only background music was permitted.Mr Wedgebury, who only took on the licence a year ago, wanted to engage an acoustic guitarist without the use of amplification once a week, possibly on a Friday between 9 pm and 11 pm, he said.Representing the neighbours, Jeffrey and Elizabeth Higham, Advocate Fred Benest said that when the Licensing Assembly attached a condition to the Seaforth licence forbidding live entertainment they had struck a blow for the private individual who lived next door to commercial premises.NoiseHe said that the couple had suffered from a great deal of noise including karaoke during the previous licensee’s term when there appeared to have been very little regard for their interest.A number of those at the assembly asked whether efforts had been made since the previous licence application for the premises to be insulated or for air conditioning to be installed, to reduce the effects of noise, but Advocate Bisson said that would be a costly business.The assembly voted by 13 to 11 against the request to alter the conditions.
The Licensing Assembly is due to hear the application tomorrow.
