Pubs and Bars: Licence Conditions and Neighbour Noise
When a licensing authority attaches a noise condition, the practical question for a licensee is which part of the building is leaking. In most traditional pubs — sash or Crittall frontage, single glazed, often with an original etched pane — it is the windows.
What escapes and when
The problematic hours are the last two of trading and the period immediately after closing. The sources are amplified music leaving through the frontage, and voices from the smoking area and the pavement. The first is a glazing problem you can fix; the second is partly a management problem that glazing helps with only where the window faces the affected neighbour.
- Amplified music leaves through the frontage
- Front-of-house sealing gives the largest single gain
- Deep cavity needed for anything below 125 Hz
Keeping the frontage intact
Many traditional pub frontages are listed or locally important, and original etched and brilliant-cut glass is irreplaceable. A room-side secondary system leaves all of it untouched and visible, which is the only approach most conservation officers will support on a historic pub front.
Working around trading
We install overnight from close, and hand back a cleaned trading floor before the next service. For a single frontage that is usually one or two nights.
Evidence for the licensing file
Where a condition is in force we can arrange before-and-after acoustic measurement. A documented improvement carries considerably more weight at review than a description of works.
Frequently asked questions
That depends on the wording and the measured target. Send us the condition and we will tell you honestly whether glazing alone can meet it or whether you also need a limiter and door management.
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South Yorkshire's specialists in secondary glazing — survey, measure, manufacture and install.