Fury over bass beat and 'relentless Merry Christmas' at Phoenix Nights club's Santa's grotto

Neighbours living close to the social club made famous in Peter Kay’s comedy show Phoenix Nights have won a battle over an application for an extended music licence.

A licensing hearing at Bolton town hall heard people living close to the Phoenix Club, also known as St Gregory's, on Church Street, Farnworth were impacted by late noise and anti-social behaviour. Complaints were also tabled about loud music from a Santa’s Grotto operating in the car park.

The club applied for a licence variation to enable it it play amplified and live music until 1am. Currently, the terms of the licence mean music should be stopped by 11.45pm, even though the venue has a later alcohol licence.

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The club plays host to around 70 to 80 functions per year, mainly on Saturdays but sometimes on Fridays and Bank Holiday Sundays. It currently has a Santa’s Grotto for families to visit, taking up much of its car park.

The licensing panel heard audio and watched video evidence from neighbours about what they claim was late night noise at weekends which they say disturbed their sleep. In one clip, timestamped March 2024 and filmed outside the premises, Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’ could be heard being played.

The meeting heard from one resident who complained of a constant ‘bass beat’ when events were held at the Santa’s Grotto. He said: “We don’t object to the Santa’s Grotto being there but we do object to the loudness of the music played when it’s on.

“We can sit there in the kitchen and we can hear it, the music is ‘Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas’ a thousand times over, it’s annoying.

“We were sat out on our patio when there was a family day, there was a DJ on and all we could hear was loud music and a bass beat.” Resident Danielle Bailey was one of the objectors who said late night noise was having a negative effect her and others.

She said: “All we want is for them to be respectful of the residents. "It’s affecting my sleep, it’s affecting my wellbeing and has been for years.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable – taxis outside at 1.30am beeping horns. “Door staff have been mentioned. I’ve never seen one in four years.”

Garry Lee, from Bolton’s licensing team said the council had received a number of complaints from neighbours and his report stated that the evidence was that music had been played at the premises after 11.45pm. He added that the licence for the premises mentions ‘door staff for functions’ but he believed no such staff were employed at the club.

Representing the club, John Wray, made reference to the club’s fame from the television show and said that one of the stars of Phoenix Nights, Paddy McGuinness, who played bouncer Paddy in the series alongside Kay, had recently visited. Mr Wray, said: “When the current management took over in 2012, the club was derelict, it had been closed down.

“Around £500,000 was invested to create the bar which caters for all the needs of the community, including a play area for children. “It is very much a family orientated business which has improved the area.”

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He said that in terms of the video evidence some were taken ‘in very close proximity’ of the club and some of them were not timestamped. He said the variation for playing music would only likely apply to Fridays and Saturdays and that the club was closed completely on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Mr Wray said a noise assessment had established the decibel levels from the club during functions was within acceptable limits.

In all, 13 objections were recieved by the council, including from their own licensing team. The panel rejected the application for a variation of the licence which mean the club must operate within its existing terms.