Yard party plan withdrawn after noise concerns

Councillor Abdul Hannan said the organisers should have sought out alternative venues

Organisers of a party for 150 people in a backyard and on a residential street have withdrawn the plans after objections were raised.

Concerns around noise nuisance and the possibility of a crush in a tight space were chief among the issues raised by police and council officials ahead of the gathering in Hyde Park, Leeds.

It comes after plans for a Halloween party for 120 guests at a house on Burley Road were refused a few weeks ago.

City councillor Abdul Hannan said applicants should seek out appropriate venues when hosting such events.

The organisers had applied for a licence to host a "live music and performance event.... with varying levels of noise" in their back garden and back street from 16:45 BST to 19:30 on Saturday 25 October.

Permission to sell alcohol was also sought.

In response to the application, the anti-social behaviour team at Leeds City Council said that the event was "likely to cause noise nuisance from amplified sound and raised voices and anti-social behaviour to other nearby residents due to the large number of people attending".

They also noted that a Public Space Protection Order was in place in the area prohibiting events which may cause nuisance including the use of amplified sound and the selling and consuming of alcohol in a public space.

West Yorkshire Police also raised concerns, highlighting that there was no adequate security or CCTV.

The force also said it was likely that more than 150 people would arrive, adding that the back garden "looked very small" and that "this will be a street party potentially causing the street to be blocked", making it difficult for emergency service vehicles and staff to attend if required.

A Public Space Protection Order has been in place in Hyde Park since 2023

These concerns were echoed by Hannan, who represents Headingley and Hyde Park on Leeds City Council.

"It's not an ideal place to host 150 people that most likely will come thinking that it's a big party and potentially get intoxicated," he said.

"I don't know how they would have got 150 people into a back-to-back terraced house."

Local residents agreed that such an event would have been very disruptive.

Student Leah said: "I think sometimes the student life becomes a bit of a bubble and you forget that people live with families around here."

Caitlin, another student who lives in the area, said: "I just kind of expect it (to be noisy) because we live here but obviously families have been living here for longer than that and they didn't ask to be in the middle of a student area."

West Yorkshire Police said sound transference was exacerbated between the Victorian or early 20th-Century properties

Hannan said applicants for future events should think more carefully about their practical implications.

"We welcome parties.... parties are something that bring people together but we have to consider people's well-being and safety."

He also encouraged local residents to use community centres and other purpose-built spaces to host such events.

"If they're very keen on having this party, then get in touch with some of these venues, which probably is a stone's throw away from where they live.

"They are made to host parties and events and they'll also be supporting the local economy."

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