Residents Object to 'Unbearably Loud' Venue's Licence Extension

Rendezvous Restaurant seeking longer opening hours

Rendezvour Restaurant on Chiswick High Road. Picture: Google Streetview

April 19, 2023

Residents are claiming “unbearably loud” noise from a restaurant has them “living in fear” that they will be unable to sleep, after plans were lodged to extend the venue’s opening hours.

Rendezvous Restaurant and Bar in Chiswick sent an application to Hounslow Council to stay open from 10.00am until 12.30am Monday to Saturday, with a closing time of 11.30pm on Sundays – currently, it operates 5.00pm to 11.00pm Monday to Thursday, with an earlier opening time of 11.00am Friday to Sunday.

The licence would also allow the bar to serve alcohol and play music until half an hour before closing time. Officers in their report said they had received 25 complaints from neighbours in the past year for loud music coming from Rendezvous.

A neighbour living on Prebend Gardens said the noise currently coming from the restaurant was “unbearable” and lasts “several hours into the night.”

They said, “Since the Rendezvous opened several years ago, the noise generated through very loud music from the [restaurant] has been more frequent and far worse than the noise from the previous restaurants before them… [we live] under stress, anxiety, and fear of what the current tenants will do next and are never sure if we will be able to sleep.”

Council officers recommended a noise limiter be added to the restaurant to prevent noise nuisances. They also suggested a direct telephone number to the manager should be made available upon request to neighbours.

The application, sent by Amir Mohammad Nazempour, said, “[There will be] extra insulation installed within walls, so sound doesn’t travel outside the premises and cause public nuisance.”

Council documents said the application had received ten complaints from local residents. One neighbour, who said he had lived in the area for 22 years, claimed the building had previous problems with antisocial behaviour.

They said, “In the past, the corner of Prebend Gardens and Chiswick High Road has been designated a crime hot-spot by the local police. The residents I have had contact with do not want to go back to the nights when we have had people urinating in our front gardens, smashing drinks bottles in the street and fights as they leave the premises.”

The application said a CCTV system covering all entry and exit points will be added to the restaurant. The documents also said an incident log would be kept on site that would be available to the police or Hounslow Council if requested.

Mr Nazempour said in the application, “Notices shall be prominently displayed at all exits requesting patrons to respect the needs of local residents and businesses and leave the area quietly… [There will be a] strict policy in place to tell all staff not to serve alcohol to drunks at all.”

The decision on the licence for Rendezvous Restaurant and Bar will be discussed at a licensing meeting for Hounslow Council on 25 April.

Joe Coughlan - Local Democracy Reporter