Social club near Wolverhampton granted permission for outdoor live music despite objections from neighbours

The Old Wulfrunians Club in Castlecroft, near Wolverhampton, is already permitted to host activities such as film screenings indoor sports, live and recorded music, as well as selling alcohol, until 1am indoors as part of the current licence.

But an application to allow licensable activities to take place outdoors until 1am too, with dance and music performances finishing at 10pm, sparked objections from 14 residents, Lower Penn Parish Council and South Staffordshire Council's environmental protection team. The club later amended its proposed outdoor activity finishing times to 9pm on weekdays and 11pm Friday to Sunday.

Permission was also requested for up to eight outdoor licensable events between April 1 and September 30 each year, as well as the annual bonfire night celebration held in November. The club agreed a series of conditions with Staffordshire Police if the new licence were to be granted by South Staffordshire Council.

One objector said: “The hours Monday to Sunday 9am till 1am the following day, on any day of the year, would make life unbearable for the (residents) in close proximity that surround the club house on three sides. The noise nuisance to the local people that would potentially have to put up with any level of noise if fewer than 500 people attend, as it would not be regulated, would seriously take away freedom of choice with no off button.”

Another said: “We are neighbours to the club and are already unduly impacted by the noise from highly amplified music at events held at the club. Over the last few years the noise nuisance has grown as the club appears to be rented out regularly for parties which can have extremely amplified music.

“Our concern is that the current application to extend the licence will result in greater public nuisance from this amplified music and outdoor gatherings, potentially to every day of the year, and to 1am in the morning, preventing ourselves and neighbours from getting to sleep. This seems very late for events in a residential area.”

On Wednesday (May 7), the council’s licensing sub-committee met to consider the new licence application. Former club chairman and current secretary David Pointon told the hearing that although the premises was allowed to operate until 1am, activities ended earlier in the evening.

“We have never followed that opening and closing”, he said. “We are open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and we do not open seven days a week, unless there is a committee meeting or a midweek cricket match.

“We have never exercised our right to open until 1am and we have no intention of changing it to open until 1am every night, or three nights a week. I think it caused a great deal of unrest in the area when they saw 9am until 1am (in the application).

“One objection was why we seem to have more functions than we used to have. I don’t think we’re that different from many pubs or clubs – if we hadn’t gone down that route to increase our income stream I have a horrible feeling we wouldn’t exist now.

“We had to look at ways we could improve that. We are a club that serves the local community and football and cricket teams that have always been there.

“We now have 30 junior football teams – they play here, there and everywhere but they are affiliated to us. We have at least half a dozen junior cricket teams and we accommodate 500 youngsters every year playing the sport.”

Mr Pointon said that on a number of occasions when there had been complaints about loud music, the noise had not been coming from the venue, but from elsewhere. There were rules in place at the club, including keeping doors and windows closed after a certain time, and visitors were asked to leave quietly at night so they did not disturb nearby residents.

The sub-committee granted permission for licensable activities to take place outside at the club from 9am, finishing at 9pm Monday to Thursday, 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 10pm on Sundays, with the exception of Sundays before Bank Holidays when they may finish at 11pm. The club will also be able to hold up to seven days of outdoor activities involving licensable activities a year, between March 20 and September 30, as well as the annual bonfire event within the first two weeks of November.