A Moseley pub has launched a campaign to stop developers building a block of flats on its doorstep amid fears of complaints from future residents over noise.
Drinkers at the Prince Of Wales have sent more than 300 letters of objection to Birmingham City Council over Crosby Lend Lease’s plans to build 50 apartments next door.
They fear a repeat of tensions which have surfaced in recent years in Digbeth and the city centre, where residents of newly-built flats have succeeded in clamping down on the right of established venues to play music.
Crosby Lend Lease was originally awarded planning permission for the flats in 2007, but this has run out and it is now seeking to renew it.
But Keith Marsden, landlord of the Prince of Wales, fears the close proximity of the proposed building and its design would leave the pub open to complaints.
‘‘The Prince has been here for 150 years. It’s probably the last proper pub left in Moseley,’’ he said. “The reason we are objecting is there is going to be some noise problems."
He pointed to venues like The Spotted Dog in Digbeth or The Nightingale in the city centre which were both forced into a battle with the council over their right to play music after complaints from residents in newly-built blocks of flats.
The Spotted Dog, for example, was given a noise abatement order under similar circumstances where new flats with balconies were built within 30 feet of the long-established pub.
“If you talk about the Spotted Dog, The Rainbow, and the The Fiddle and Bone, Birmingham has a long track record of closing down or severely curtailing great pubs which add a lot of character to the city,” added Mr Marsden.
“Birmingham as a city keeps making the same mistake over and over again.”
The Prince of Wales is not a venue known for its loud music, but it stages a handful of events with live bands every year in its popular rear beer garden.
“But 200 or 300 people having a nice time can be noisy and if your balcony is only 20 ft away, you are going to complain.”
