A central London pub faces having its opening hours restricted after one resident complained about an “occasional bout” of customer laughter wafting into his bedroom.
Managers of the 200-year-old Globe, opposite Baker Street Station, are set to be hauled before Westminster Council’s licensing committee following protests from a neighbour about noisy socialising linked to the venue.
In documents submitted to the town hall, the man grumbles about the bar’s clientele shouting “happy birthday” and “murmuring” outside the bar just after midnight on some nights.
“These patrons continue to socialise in the forecourt whereby the constant murmuring and occasional bout of laughter wafts into my bedroom at the exact time I am trying to doze off to sleep,” the resident said in their complaint to the council.
“The consequence of which is that I am consistently being woken up by the Globe’s patrons.
“As a consequence my adrenaline spikes and I am often unable to fall asleep for another two hours or so.
“This then takes days for me to recover.”
He adds that customers can take up to 45 minutes after the venue’s midnight closing time to fully disperse from the area and on six nights between March 15 and 27 there were “noise incidents”.
As evidence, the resident attached a series of WhatsApp messages between himself and the manager of the pub, which is owned by Greene King.
In one dated March 27, 2024 and sent at one minute past midnight the resident says: “We need to find a solution here. This is not ok. They are now screaming happy birthday.”
The manager replies: “Moving them as best we can and have told to be quiet.”
In a message dated Saturday April 6 at 11.54pm, he complains that doormen are not moving customers away or asking them to “respect the residents”.
The manager replies: “It not even 12[am], this is getting excessive now, we are moving them on they are also not making noise.”
In a public notice, Westminster council said the review had “been brought on the grounds of the prevention of public nuisance”.
It has been suggested that the venue’s closing time is scaled back from midnight to 11pm.
The same complainant called a licensing review against The Globe in 2022 citing the excessive “pinging” of beer barrels when they were being transported to and from the premises.
As a result, a condition was added to the bar’s licence meaning it cannot accept deliveries between 11pm and 7am. Home Office guidance states that at any stage after a premises is issued a late night or alcohol licence, a responsible authority, such as the police or the Environmental Health Service, can seek a review if it is suspected the venue is contravening licensing objectives.
Any resident can also call for a pub or club to have its licence reviewed if they are being “adversely affected by the premises' operation and activities”.
The application must be based on preventing crime and disorder or public nuisance, public safety or protecting children from harm, according to Westminster council’s website.
The Globe has been contacted for comment.
