Rosita's cafe and bar in Caerphilly town centre has secured permission for extended hours and live music, despite strong opposition from neighbours over noise and disturbance concerns.
Expansion plans approved
Martin Rees, owner of Rosita's, had sought to expand the business into a new outdoor area and allow recorded music indoors until 1am on weekends, instead of the existing 11pm cut-off. He said he wanted the venue to offer "something for everyone", from daytime meals with views of the town's castle to late-night entertainment.
However, several neighbours objected, telling Caerphilly council they already faced regular weekend noise problems.
Neighbours' objections
Resident Kim Newbury told Mr Rees there was "a big disconnect between what you believe is happening and what we see is happening". She said: "I'm woken up nearly every Friday and Saturday night by the noise from your premises or from people spilling out from your premises."
She claimed some people were urinating or vomiting in nearby bushes, adding: "I've been living here for 40 years and I've never experienced it as badly." She said it was "a shame the onus is on residents" to prove noise problems.
Another resident, Julie Prosser, said she was "not against Rosita's" and had lived in the area for 37 years "without any complaints about any business". But she claimed the business had changed from its "original advertisements of being a relaxed all-day dining experience from breakfast to dinner into a nightclub, indoors and outdoors, until the early hours, every weekend". She also questioned why complaints and evidence from neighbours had not shown a link to statutory nuisance.
Council decision
A council environmental health officer said his team had been unable to establish a "statutory nuisance" during callouts linked to Rosita's. At the committee meeting, licensing officer Sandra Lewis-Williams said she believed the proposed licence would create "more enforceable and robust" rules for Rosita's, which could be "acted upon in the event that the conditions are not met".
The committee backed a revised application from Mr Rees allowing live music indoors between midday and 1am, and recorded music until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Use of the new outdoor area will be permitted until 11pm, which will also be the cut-off for entry and re-entry. New licence conditions include tougher wording on door security, off-sales of alcohol, provision of bins, and that windows and doors must be kept closed "during periods of entertainment".
