COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Beechwood Lawn Tennis Club in Earlsdon applied to Coventry City Council for permission to play music and sell alcohol for extended hours at its premises in Beechwood Avenue.

They asked for the music and alcohol licence to be extended beyond the current closing times of 11pm on Monday to Saturday and 10.30pm on Sunday.

But their application was met with objections from locals who complained the 125-year-old venue was already a nuisance and previous events had overrun its current restrictions.

At a licensing sub-committee hearing at the Council House on Monday, club officials explained why the application was necessary.

David Smith, club licensing advisor, said: “We are not looking to make this a rock and roll venue playing the Rolling Stones, we want to comply with the licensing laws.

"It will not be on a regular basis.”

But residents remained sceptical despite his attempts to reassure them.

Councillor Ken Taylor (Con, Earlsdon) said: “The club has proved to be a nuisance and has overrun a number of times.

"The concern is that it will become a nightclub and there will be a lot of drunkenness and car noise which is just not acceptable for the area.”

Beechwood Avenue resident Barry King said: “We are here to say ‘please don’t grant the extension, stop the noise’.

“There’s already no co-ordination and a lack of managing these things.

"To give them an extension of hours would just create more problems that they would not be able to manage.”

Resident Virginia King, also of Beechwood Avenue, told how the noise proved such a distraction she found it difficult to work at home.

“They have shown compete disregard. They have trampled on my rights as a resident,” she said.

Following a lengthy deliberation, councillors granted an extension, although reduced hours to those originally applied for. Monday to Thursday hours will stay the same, but on Fridays and Saturdays the club now has permission to play live music from 6pm until 11pm, play recorded music from 10am until 11.30pm, play DJ music from 6pm until 11.30pm and sell alcohol from 10am until 11.30pm.

The club is permitted to stay open until midnight.

The extension was granted on numerous conditions including that council officers set noise limiters and doors and windows are closed.