A Somerset hotel has claimed that noise from a bar across the street has caused it to pay out over £10k in refunds to guests.

Sass, a popular bar on Weston-super-Mare’s South Parade by the Italian Gardens, is applying to North Somerset Council to stay open and serve alcohol for another hour — until 2.30am Monday to Thursday and 3am Friday to Sunday. There are no plans to extend the hours when the bar can play music.

But the bar’s neighbour across the street, the Royal Hotel, has objected to the plans. Its owners claim they get complaints about the noise from the bar every week and had to pay out £11,453.80 in refunds to guests disturbed by noise in 2023 alone.

In a statement submitted to North Somerset Council, the hotel owners said: “For the last few years, we have constantly had complaints from our guests staying in the hotel about noise disruption from music and Sass customers gathering outside to smoke or when standing around leaving the bar, which is directly opposite the hotel.”

They added: “Why should our guests have to put up with this level of disruption when they come to stay with us? It will cost us as a local business increased money in refunds. I’m sorry, I firmly ask you to please consider this before granting their request.”

The hotel added that 61% of their rooms are on the Sass-side of the South Parade. They said the bar had suggested they install double glazing or air conditioning, but the hotel was listed and they did not have the financial resources.

The statement added: “I am not objecting to Sass Bar operating as a business; the Royal is in exactly the same position. All businesses are struggling to operate in the current climate. Increased costs in food, beverage, payroll, etc mean trading is difficult for all and we have to accept that it is part of where we all are. If this extension of hours is granted, what will benefit Sass Bar financially will be detrimental to the Royal Hotel even more.”

As there has been an objection to the application, the matter will now go before North Somerset Council’s licensing sub-committee where both Sass and the Royal Hotel will have the opportunity to set out their case.

It is not Sass’ first time going before the sub-committee. In June 2023, the police who called for its licence to be stripped over warning of repeated breaches of licensing rules at the premises. One of the issues police accused it of was exceeding noise levels — but the CCTV footage they presented as proof of this had no sound.

Councillors agreed in 2023 to give the bar a “last chance” to turn things around and only remove the designated premises supervisor from holding that position, instead of stripping the premises licence. The application the bar has now submitted to extend its hours has been met with no objections from the police.

The licensing hearing for the application will take place on August 6 at the Kenn Room in Weston-super-Mare Town Hall, where it is scheduled for 3.30pm.