Manchester City Council spends £60k in noise row with music venue

The row began after a noise complaint made in 2021

A council has spent more than £60,000 in a three-year legal battle with a music venue.

Manchester City Council spent the money on legal fees and acoustic testing in its dispute with Night & Day Cafe.

The cafe appealed the noise abatement notice that was issued after residents complained they could hear music from the Oldham Street, Manchester city centre, venue late at night.

A decision on the appeal is yet to be made.

It is thought District Judge Margaret McCormack, from Manchester Magistrates' Court, is still considering arguments in the case after the cafe's appeal, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Information released by the council under a freedom of information request shows £33,500 was spent on external legal services in the case.

A total of £29,525 used to pay for acoustic testing for the court.

Council licensing officers spent 223 hours on the case, and the internal legal team spent about 263.9 hours working on it.

The cost of their time was put at £26,099.03.

'Costly proceedings'

A council spokesman said the "vast majority of these costs" related to the appeal by Night & Day.

Efforts had been made to "reach an amicable resolution with Night & Day through discussion to agree acceptable sound levels which would work for everyone, without the need for costly court proceedings," the spokesman said.

"Regrettably this has not proved possible, which is why the matter has had to be determined in court. We await the judge's final decision." 

During the legal proceedings, Night & Day representatives said they had spent roughly £100,000 bringing the appeal, warning the venue would face financial difficulties if the noise abatement notice was upheld.

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