Paul (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} walstafa) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} alt_edinburgh,@ 2005-06-29 13:56:00 |
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Studio 24 to close...
From http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cf
A NIGHTCLUB has been forced to shut down after complaints from neighbours over loud music and antisocial behaviour.
The owners of Studio 24 on Calton Road have agreed to close its doors for the last time next January following a campaign by neighbours.
Residents complained about under-age drinking, noise and litter from clubbers, as well as music audible through their flat walls.
Twenty objections were lodged with the city licensing board when it considered granting an extension to the club’s 3am late licence this week.
A six-month extension was passed despite the residents’ challenge after the owner’s solicitor pledged the club would close in the New Year.
Most of the complaints stemmed from the under-18 Goth night, Junior Mission, which is held on Saturdays till 10pm.
Hazel Hawkins, of Calton Road, complained in a letter to the board. She said: "The people that go to the club are terrible. They shout, swear, smash bottles, come into our parking area, sit on cars (and) when you tell them to leave you are given abuse."
Gillian McArthur runs the club while her father, David, acts as licensee. She said: "We have been left devastated by this. The club has been our lives and there are 20 employees who rely on us for their income.
"We have spent thousands on sound-proofing and tried to work with the residents. We sweep the streets for any litter. There is not much more we can do."
A number of new housing developments have sprung up around the club in recent years, leading to the complaints.
"We were always based in a commercial area with no flats. Now we are surrounded by them," added Ms McArthur. "The planning brief called for sound insulation in the new flats but that was not always followed."
Ms McArthur said she would pursue a civil action for compensation against any developer which failed to soundproof.
David McArthur said: "Most of the kids who attracted complaints were the ones not allowed into Junior Mission, perhaps because they had been drinking. We cannot control them. Police and youth groups have been very supportive of the youth night, which provides somewhere for kids to go."
Licensing leader Councillor Phil Attridge said: "Studio 24 have been trying their best but they have basically been a victim of the growth in new developments in Edinburgh. In previous years there were only garages and lock-ups there. Now there are lots of flats. Obviously we have sympathy for residents who will have to put up with noise for another six months, but they knew they were moving next to a nightclub.
"It would be a real shame for the club to close because it offers a lot of youngsters something to do at night. After 25 years it’s an Edinburgh institution."
The club owners will be able to apply for another licence in January if they choose, which is likely to spark further opposition from residents.
A city council spokeswoman said: "A residential development next to the venue did fail to comply with the condition requiring soundproofing. The onus to prove that an applicant has complied to a planning condition lies with the applicant, not the council."
From http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cf
A NIGHTCLUB has been forced to shut down after complaints from neighbours over loud music and antisocial behaviour.
The owners of Studio 24 on Calton Road have agreed to close its doors for the last time next January following a campaign by neighbours.
Residents complained about under-age drinking, noise and litter from clubbers, as well as music audible through their flat walls.
Twenty objections were lodged with the city licensing board when it considered granting an extension to the club’s 3am late licence this week.
A six-month extension was passed despite the residents’ challenge after the owner’s solicitor pledged the club would close in the New Year.
Most of the complaints stemmed from the under-18 Goth night, Junior Mission, which is held on Saturdays till 10pm.
Hazel Hawkins, of Calton Road, complained in a letter to the board. She said: "The people that go to the club are terrible. They shout, swear, smash bottles, come into our parking area, sit on cars (and) when you tell them to leave you are given abuse."
Gillian McArthur runs the club while her father, David, acts as licensee. She said: "We have been left devastated by this. The club has been our lives and there are 20 employees who rely on us for their income.
"We have spent thousands on sound-proofing and tried to work with the residents. We sweep the streets for any litter. There is not much more we can do."
A number of new housing developments have sprung up around the club in recent years, leading to the complaints.
"We were always based in a commercial area with no flats. Now we are surrounded by them," added Ms McArthur. "The planning brief called for sound insulation in the new flats but that was not always followed."
Ms McArthur said she would pursue a civil action for compensation against any developer which failed to soundproof.
David McArthur said: "Most of the kids who attracted complaints were the ones not allowed into Junior Mission, perhaps because they had been drinking. We cannot control them. Police and youth groups have been very supportive of the youth night, which provides somewhere for kids to go."
Licensing leader Councillor Phil Attridge said: "Studio 24 have been trying their best but they have basically been a victim of the growth in new developments in Edinburgh. In previous years there were only garages and lock-ups there. Now there are lots of flats. Obviously we have sympathy for residents who will have to put up with noise for another six months, but they knew they were moving next to a nightclub.
"It would be a real shame for the club to close because it offers a lot of youngsters something to do at night. After 25 years it’s an Edinburgh institution."
The club owners will be able to apply for another licence in January if they choose, which is likely to spark further opposition from residents.
A city council spokeswoman said: "A residential development next to the venue did fail to comply with the condition requiring soundproofing. The onus to prove that an applicant has complied to a planning condition lies with the applicant, not the council."
