Owner of wedding venue prosecuted for breaching noise notices
The owner of a large wedding venue in Kidmore End has been successfully prosecuted by South Oxfordshire District Council for breaching noise abatement notices on two occasions and has been ordered to pay nearly £16,000.
Penelope Holley, 71, of The Copse, Mill Lane, Kidmore End, Reading, was sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 26 November. Mrs Holley was ordered to pay a fine of £400 for each offence, a victim surcharge of £80 and awarded partial costs of £15,000 to the council. To be repaid within three months.
On 17 July 2018 the council’s Environmental Protection team established the existence of a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and served a noise abatement notice on the owner, Mrs Holley.
The noise abatement notice was served due to music, shouting and singing emanating from The Copse over repeated weekends late into the evening.
As part of its investigation, officers from South Oxfordshire District Council installed noise monitoring equipment and attended several neighbours’ properties to witness the noise and gather evidence.
The defendant attempted to address some of the issues regarding noise from these events by installing directional speakers in the ‘disco barn’, employing additional staff, putting in place a noise management plan and using a sound-proofed marquee.
However, following further complaints from neighbours, the council’s Environmental Protection officers witnessed breaches of the abatement notice on the 14 September and again a week later on 21 September 2019. .
With these officer visits and analysis of recordings from the noise monitoring equipment the council declared that there had been a statutory nuisance on both occasions, resulting in a breach of the abatement notice. The defendant was found guilty of breaching the Noise Abatement Notice by a judge following a three-day trial at Oxford Magistrates’ Court from 25 to 27 August 2021.
Cllr Sue Cooper, South Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member for Environment, Climate Change and Nature Recovery said: “The disruption and stress caused by excess noise from neighbours should not be underestimated. If it continues it can seriously affect people’s quality of life. The council wants communities to thrive together and will work to mitigate any noise problems people have with neighbours. However, if notices are breached, we have no option but to prosecute.”
Notes to editors
A statutory nuisance is based on the frequency, duration, time of day and nature of the alleged noise nuisance. It is also assessed on an average person’s sensitivity to any given noise.
The court case was delayed due to Covid restrictions and limited court time.
