Manbar risks closure by Westminster City Council.
Manbar, an independent gay bar on Charing Cross Road in London will be forced to close if it loses a costly legal battle with Westminster City Council in early April.
The bar, which is on the site of 79CXR, the legendary dance bar, which ran for eighteen years before being sold to gay entrepreneur Chris Amos, opened as Manbar in 2012 and provides a unique and truly authentic gay space in central London.
Repeated complaints from one resident two floors above the bar led to a licensing review last summer in which Westminster Council banned the playing of music until improvements were made. Manbar has appealed and has continued to trade pending the appeal hearing which comes before Westminster Magistrates on Monday, April 7 2014.
In the mean time, expert advice has led to extensive works being carried out to ensure that noise nuisance, however slight, does not take place.
Council officials have been involved in measuring, testing and have written to Manbar stating, “we are satisfied with the Sound Limiter setting, the sound limiter model and the way in which the system is now set up.”
However senior officers at Westminster refuse to compromise and are insisting on pursuing the appeal.
So successful has Manbar been in solving the problem that council officials could not detect any noise in the complainant’s flat. They even turned off the resident’s fridge and laptop in an attempt to hear noise.
Whilst Manbar have been advised that they should win, if they lose they face a legal bill of up to £60,000.
Chris questions if is fair that one resident’s complaint – that he can hear noise if he turns his fridge off – led Westminster City Council, with seemingly unlimited financial muscle, to pursue and persecute a small gay bar in the city centre?
Chris Amos is seeking support both from the gay scene and the general public to help fight off Westminster City Council and has launched a campaign ‘SAVE MANBAR’ to highlight his plight.
Andrew Ralph, Westminister City Council Noise & Licencing Manager, said: “Anyone who has suffered a noise nuisance will know what an impact it can have on quality of life and Westminster City Council’s environmental health team takes any complaint about noise very seriously. It is certainly true that, after measures had been taken to limit noise at Manbar, our officers tested levels and found them to be acceptable. However, after we were contacted again, our officers returned to find that the noise levels were far higher and amounted to a statutory nuisance. That is not acceptable.”
Chris says: “Help us before it is too late”.
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To sign petition to ask Westminster Council to drop the case, CLICK HERE:
Members of the public can show their support on Twitter and Facebook.
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