Licence Granted For Controversial Newport 'Wyld Bar'

It's full steam ahead for the new Wyld bar in Newport as its licence is granted.

Determined today (Thursday) by a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s licensing sub-committee, the new nightlife hotspot in the centre of the town, filling the former Pizza Express restaurant space, will be able to open until 11pm Sunday to Thursday, and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Nearby residents had objected due to potential noise nuisance or anti-social behaviour.

One said:

“We are not killjoys and were young once but these hours are surely not suitable with so many residents in the flats. Quite frankly we are worried sick.”

The new establishment is targeted towards the young, female professional and says it will be the ‘sassiest and most instagrammable cafe’, with pink decor and statement touches throughout.

It was first intended to be a bar, but following feedback from residents and opportunities to retain the open kitchen, it has now changed to become a restaurant/cafe/bar.

The licence will allow the showing of films, live and recorded music, as well as host dance performances, supplying alcohol and late-night refreshment.

Speaking on behalf of residents, Cllr Julie Jones-Evans, said it was about finding an equilibrium between the activity of Wyld and the residents.
She said:

“Our town centres are changing, through the impact of Covid or online shopping, every town centre has its issues.

“We don’t want empty premises, we want a thriving town centre but also more people living in it.

“Residents in this area have lived in harmony with the previous tenants of the building for many years.

“The main issues residents are concerned with is the prevention of public nuisance, people coming out of the building and dispersing.”

Under the noise management plan submitted by Wyld, a dispersal policy will be implemented allowing a staggering of customers to leave and door staff to point people in the direction of the taxi rank or bus station.

Numbers of people gathering outside the building to smoke will also be controlled before the crowd becomes unnecessarily large and will be directed to stand away from the residential properties.

Following initial concerns with the application, an environmental health officer said they were satisfied the noise management plan, and the installation of a second set of doors would help prevent noise escaping the building and lessen nuisance to residents.

To curtail any noise issues, Wyld says it will install a speaker system with automatic volume control, which cannot be overridden, meaning the levels of music played cannot go above a certain level.

Granting the licence, the sub-committee added conditions including door supervision must be compulsory on Friday and Saturday from 10pm, no regulated activities can take place before the second set of doors are installed and patrons are not allowed to enter or re-enter Wyld after 11pm.

Speaking to residents of Savoy Court who attended the meeting, chair of the sub-committee Cllr Daryll Pitcher, said it was always awkward as no one can get everything they want but he hoped their concerns had been addressed.

He also reminded residents a licence can be reviewed if there are any issues and it does not comply with the conditions.