Southsea Cinema music rights cut after claims of ‘horrendous’ noise and ‘hostility’

Claims of “unacceptable” noise, sleepless nights and drunken hostility have seen a community cinema’s ability to host live music nights reduced.

Southsea Cinema was the subject of a Portsmouth City Council licensing sub-committee hearing after neighbours complained that their quality of life had been affected by heavy bass-reliant music events at the Palmerston Road venue.

After looking at the evidence the committee decided that changes had to be made. It has ruled that Portsmouth Film Society, which runs the cinema, must change the designated premises supervisor (DPS) Aysegul Epengin, and must not run late-night events.

Kirk Sturrock, who has lived above the premises for 11 years with his partner Lucy Pearce, said between 2023 and 2026 the venue had turned from being a cinema into a “music/club venue”, with some events ending as late as 3am.

Attempts to negotiate with Ms Epengin resulted in “avoidance, deflection and dismissive tactics,” he said.

He said there were nights when he and his partner could not sleep until after 3am, despite having to wake for work at around 5am.

This led to an incident on May 3 when a “very loud” DJ event led to concerns being raised with Ms Epengin over text.

He said Ms Epengin attempted to visit the flat to take a decibel reading inside “after we said don’t come up”. Mr Sturrock claimed that Ms Epengin was drunk at the time.

He told the panel: “In that conversation she belittled us for working on a bank holiday” and said they lived “in a commercial property and that you basically don’t have any rights”.

After being told she could not enter, he said: “she barges past me to get to my door”, before Ms Pearce closed it.

The panel later watched, in private session, a video recorded by Mr Sturrock after that point.

Ms Pearce said “there’s always been no respect there” and “from very early on it was made clear what Aysegul wanted Aysegul got”.

Council environmental protection officer Carolyn Tanner said there had been “repeated issues” since 2024, resulting in a noise abatement notice in May over “excessively loud bass levels”.

She said amplified music was the “primary source of nuisance” and there had been no complaints about film screenings.

An acoustician recommended an overall decibel limit of 90, while Ms Tanner said Ms Epengin’s own evidence confirmed the venue reached 96db on May 3.

She also said a May 24 recording showed bass levels 24.5db above the average recorded in the complainants’ flat, which “from an acoustic point of view, is ridiculous, very unacceptable”.

A further visit in July saw the acoustician recommend an overall level of 85. Ms Tanner said: “Ms Epengin actually shouted at me that it couldn’t be heard from the street, to which I didn’t respond at that point”.

Additionally, a volunteer at the venue and at least one other person shouted “obscenities to the DJ which involved ‘why don’t we get the council to F off’ and then some not very nice words”.

The owner of nearby Folio shop, Amanda Hunt, said the premises had “become a heavy music venue and occasionally a cinema”.

Michael Pike, owner of The Sandwich Bar on Marmion Road, described the “noise that they create” as “horrendous” and Ms Epengin as “impossible”.

Former St Jude ward councillor Judith Smythe, speaking in defence of the venue, said there was “a really big feeling in the area” about the “importance of having the film society there on that end of Palmerston road”.

She called the cinema a “lovely friendly place” and said “It would be a disaster if another premises becomes vacant”.

Ms Epengin said she wanted to “assure the complainants and the review committee that we are continually working to resolve these issues”.

She said this was “an incremental process requiring ongoing communication and feedback in order to work”.

She added: “After having implemented many sound abatement measures we’ve come to realise that the building has some particular structural issues that make it perhaps not ideally suited for very late night music events.”

On the May 3 incident, she said she “humbly apologise for my unprofessional behaviour”.

“I went to their flat to record sound measurements in the hopes we could continue working towards a peaceful coexistence – not to cause any disturbance.

“It was an accumulation of obstacles in the days leading up to the incident that lead to a volatile response.”

She denied local businesses “are functionally impacted by our operations or events” and said complaints had “not been made in good faith”.

She said allegations were “not based on fact rather hostility” and claimed: “We are the victim of tall poppy syndrome – our very existence is an irritation to them.”

Ms Epengin said income from music events “is contributing to the business”, while film screenings, the cafe and arts and crafts “very rarely we make a profit”.

She said rent was £3,000 a month and “it’s a miracle” the venue had stayed open this long.

Issuing its decision, the sub-committee decided to remove Ms Epingin as the DPS.

Licensable hours for live and recorded music will also be reduced to 5pm-10pm Monday to Thursday, 4pm-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturdays and 11am-10pm on Sundays.

It ruled the complaints were not confined to “private disputes” between neighbours, but demonstrated a “pattern of disturbance” affecting the local area.

The removal of the DPS was due to “serious concerns with regard to the behaviour” and a “lack of due diligence over a significant, protected period”.

The decision was considered appropriate “on the basis that she was, on the balance of probabilities, drunk on the premises as evidenced by the interaction recorded by complainants”.

It recommends that the premises “does not host further bass-heavy events” until a sound engineer has conducted a survey, adding that environmental health is likely to object to a temporary event notice for such an event.