Ryan's had licence revoked after complaints

A Hanwell bar has been given permission to appeal against losing its licence.

Ryan’s Bar, in Boston Road, had its licence revoked in August after the council’s licensing sub-committee heard complaints from nearby residents about noise issues.

A spokesman for Ealing council says revoking a licence is reserved for the most serious of cases and that the committee considered representations from the police, council officers and residents before reaching its decision.

Claire Barrett, who’s been the licencee since the start of the year, says she doesn't think the decision was fair. She said:

“There was evidence put forward from people complaining, but we also had letters from close neighbours who supported us and we were not allowed to submit them as evidence.”

Originally called ‘Cheers’, Ryans has been open for over 25 years. John Langley – himself a former publican with more than 20 years experience – is a regular.

He said: “ This is a great local pub and Claire works hard both to make it a success and to deal appropriately with any issues about the noise.”

The bar (on a site which in the past was a launderette and before that a pawnbroker) regularly plays music – karaoke and live bands.

Ms Barrett said “I do realise that noise can be an issue for people living nearby so we do what we can to minimize this. The side door is shut at 10pm, we have a noise minimizer inside, we ask our customers to be quiet when they leave”.

She added that one of the dates which attracted complaints was the Hanwell Hootie when 11 pubs in the area hosted live music for the popular annual event. “I don't know why Ryans got picked on” she said, “and when we tried to explain, the committee said they had never heard of the Hootie”

The council say they have also received complaints about noise from W7 Emporium which is just a few metres away from Ryans. The pub has started an online petition and is preparing for the appeal which will be in December.

Viv Ellis

13th October 2015