Plans for former sports bar held over noise fears

Plans to partly demolish a vacant town centre sports bar and build 13 flats in its place have temporarily been put on hold due to concerns raised about the noise impact from neighbouring bars and clubs.

The Northampton Sports Bar on Gold Street has been closed since it was forced to close down more than four years ago.

Spearhead Holdings applied to West Northants Council to retain the ground floor of the property for commercial use, while converting the first floor and adding a second and third level for apartments.

During a meeting on Thursday, noise concerns were raised and the council unanimously agreed to defer the application to allow the applicant to provide more information.

A previous application to convert the same building into 14 apartments was refused partly because the noise impact was not properly dealt with, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council's environmental health team stated the noise mitigation in the new scheme would be "acceptable".

During the meeting, members heard from local businesses who shared fears that the proximity of the flats to their nightclubs could lead to noise complaints from future residents and jeopardize their premises.

Officers said that they could not "rule out that possibility" of a noise abatement notice, a legal document that instructs someone to stop or reduce a noise that is considered a nuisance, but said the conditions in the planning agreements "dramatically" reduced the possibility of one being served.

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