Pub sparks fight over outdoor TV

“Just because the pub was built 200 years ago should not mitigate a public nuisance and pub landlords often use this spurious defence viz. that the pub was there long before the houses. People are entitled to be able to enjoy their homes and indeed their gardens without being subjected to the moronic drunken antics of people unable to behave reasonably and considerately because they've had a couple of pints.
All of this was probably never an issue until the smoking ban in 2007 which increased noise and other nuisances from pubs within residential areas, as pub gardens became equipped with smoking canopies, lighting, heaters and other paraphernalia not previously needed. Where pub gardens were abandoned as evenings grew dark or colder nowadays they can be used almost year round. It can be a nightmare for people especially if loud live music is also a regular occurrence. Council environmental health departments are often completely useless in dealing properly with complaints from residents so It is pleasing to see that local councillors are on the sides of residents in this instance as so many are not elsewhere. Whilst I am sad to see the demise of the traditional British pub generally I am equally glad to see so many horrible cliquey dives go to the wall. Let's hope the residents get the right result.”

“As the landlord of the White Hart Inn, I feel that I should reply to this report and correct the inaccuracies contain within.
Firstly, it is a pity that the neighbours and councillors who objected to my application failed to read the application in its entirety. Had they done so, they would have realised that our current license permits us to have a television in the garden as long as it is not used after 8pm. Furthermore, they would have realised that we are actually asking to have that condition removed so that no television will be allowed in the garden at all! The other objection is that we may become a pitstop for late night revellers on their way to the main Canterbury nightclub. Again, the objectors should note that whilst we are licensed to serve alcohol up to 1am, we invariably close at 11pm and only continue to serve the existing customers of the pub, who have other been in drinking during the course of that evening or who have been in for dinner. The White Hart Inn deliberatly avoids targetting the clubbers market by keeping our prices at the higher end of the spectrum and by refusing to stock the type of products that they are keen to buy, such as Red Bull & Jagermeister. We do not offer drinks promotions, unlike many town centre pubs for that very reason. It is also worth noting that extending the garden hours by one hour will not attract late night drinkers in just permit our existing customers to enjoy the occasional warm summers evening a little longer. If I wanted to target the younger market, I could simply advertise drinks promotions and serve the customers inside under my existing license.
But perhaps we should get back to the main reason for the objection and that is that some people simply do not want a pub at the bottom of their garden, but this should not be a surprise to them, as the pub was built over 200 years ago, as opposed to their houses which were built in 1984.”