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Brighton Council responds to Blind Tiger closure
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 21 May 2014
Brighton & Hove Council has issued a statement following the closure of the popular music venue in the city The Blind Tiger.
As previously reported, the team behind the gig venue revealed last weekend that they had received a noise abatement order from the local council. Unable to assure gigs in the space wouldn’t breach that order, and unable to fund expensive new sound-proofing (the venue having already admitted to financial hardships last year), the team confirmed they had decided to call it a day, at their Grand Parade home at least (the same team had run some pop-up venues prior to moving into their current premises and indicated they might do the same in the future).
The announcement led to a petition – now signed by over 12,800 people – calling on the council to revoke the order, not least because, according to The Blind Tiger’s management, the local authority had stepped in because of complaints from just one local resident, who had moved into a flat directly above the bar about a year ago.
Petitioners rightly asked why you would move in above an existing music venue and then seek to have it shut down because of noise issues, while the Blind Tiger team expressed disappointment at the fact that, even though a music venue had operated in their building for three decades, complaints from a single new neighbour had seemingly led to the issuing of the noise abatement order resulting in closure.
However, in its response Brighton & Hove Council has insisted that noise complaints relating to The Blind Tiger do not just originate from one resident, and that there have been issues for years. The local authority said in a statement: “The council has received numerous noise complaints from local residents about this venue for several years. Complaints have been received from residents in North Road, Grand Parade and Marlborough Place”.
“By law we must investigate noise complaints made to the council. We also have a legal duty to serve a noise abatement notice on those responsible when a noise nuisance is identified. On 14 March 2014 a noise abatement notice was served on the leaseholders who operate Blind Tiger following complaints about noise from live music. The business was given two months to comply with the notice. This gave time for assessments to take place and any necessary sound insulation work to be undertaken”.
The Council concluded: “Blind Tiger chose to stop operating at the venue when the abatement notice period ran out on May 14 2014. The council has not closed the venue. The council’s environmental health team has worked with the business and the police and council’s licensing team to try and resolve any complaints received. The council is continuing to work with all parties to try and resolve this case”.
Although yet to fully respond to that statement, The Blind Tiger team quickly countered the Council’s position via Facebook, writing: “Just seen the Council’s statement about our venue today in response to the spontaneous public petition – it’s a bit breathtaking, because their reply is variously untrue, very partial and ignorant. We were not angry with the Council before we read that statement. We genuinely sympathised with them that they were only doing their jobs and were quite philosophical about it all. Now we’re absolutely livid! We’ll write another blogpost tomorrow when we’ve calmed down!”
