Brighton's Blind Tiger Club closes after noise complaint

A petition signed by more than 11,000 people has called for the noise abatement notice to be repealed

A popular music venue in Brighton has been forced to close after a neighbour living in the flat above complained about the noise.

The Blind Tiger Club, in Grand Parade, shut its doors on Sunday after it was issued with a noise abatement notice.

According to the club, the site has been a licensed music venue for over 160 years.

More than 11,000 people have signed a petition calling for the abatement notice to be revoked.

A statement on the club's website said the person moved above the venue in 2013 and made several complaints directly to the club, before contacting the police.

'Numerous noise complaints'

"Given the location of their flat, and the construction of the building, it seems to be almost impossible to sufficiently eliminate enough noise, vibrations or disturbance from playing music on the floor below," the club said.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said there had been "numerous" noise complaints by residents over several years.

The noise abatement notice was served on 14 March.

"The business was given two months to comply with the notice. This gave time for assessments to take place and any necessary sound insulation work to be undertaken," the spokesman said.

"Blind Tiger chose to stop operating at the venue when the abatement notice period ran out."

The Blind Tiger was built as a public house in the early Victorian period and regularly played host to live music in the bar, recorded as far back as the time of the 1854 census, the club's statement said.