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6.1  The sub committee heard from the Principal Licensing
Officer, the Applicant, Responsible Authority for Environmental
Health. The Environmental Protection have given the Licensing
Authority and the premises user notice of objection to Temporary
Event Notice for an event to be held on 31/12/2025 from 12:00
finishing on 01/01/2026 at 03:00am. The Licensing Authority have
called the hearing to decide whether or not to allow the event to
proceed.
 
6.2  During the course of
submissions and a discussion of the application, the following
points were noted:
 
· 
Environmental Protection objected to the Hoxton Howl Temporary
Event Notice on public nuisance grounds, citing a history of 49
noise complaints since August 2022, including breaches witnessed by
officers, an abatement notice served in August, and further
complaints received in December.
· 
The Premises Licence holders outlined measures implemented under
new management to address noise and community impact, including
installing air conditioning, relocating the smoking area away from
residential streets, employing additional security, limiting
capacity for New Year’s Eve, and engaging positively with the
local community.
· 
The Sub Committee was advised that existing premises licence
conditions could not be enforced under a TEN. Environmental
Protection raised ongoing concerns regarding the absence of a
council-approved noise limiter and questioned whether recent
measures were sufficient.
· 
The Premises Licence holders acknowledged historical issues but
stated that complaints had reduced since management changes,
disputing the relevance of the December complaint and highlighting
proactive engagement with residents and licensing initiatives.
· 
Members questioned event planning, security, and risk management.
The Premises Licence holders confirmed that three security staff
would be in place and that senior management would be present
throughout the event.
· 
Although not legally required under a TEN, Howl at the Moon
committed on record to complying with existing licence conditions
relating to noise management, outdoor areas, and dispersal
arrangements.
 
6.3 
Environmental Protection maintained its objection due to the
complaint history and recommended a monitoring period and
installation of a council-approved noise limiter.
 
 
RESOLVED:
 
Counter Notice
(Temporary Event Notice for 31 December 2025)
Re: Howl at the
Moon, 178 Hoxton Street, London N1 5LH
The decision of 17th
December 2025
The Licensing sub-committee, in
considering this decision from the information
presented to it within the report and
at the hearing, has determined that having
regard to the promotion of the
licensing objectives:
 
? The prevention of crime and
disorder;
? Public safety;
? Prevention of public nuisance;
and
? The protection of children from
harm
 
And in particular upon consideration
of the objection notice given by the Environmental Protection
Service is satisfied that the proposed event would undermine the
licensing objectives. Therefore, the Sub-Committee has served a
counter notice.
 
Reasons for the
decision
 
The Licensing Sub-Committee took into
consideration the objection received from the Environmental
Protection Service to the Temporary Event Notice for the period on
31/12/2025 from 12:00 finishing on 01/01/2026 at 03:00.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account
the representations from the Environmental Protection Service that
there were persistent noise issues citing 49 complaints from 13
complainants across 10 separate households between August 2022 to
date. The complaints stemmed from loud amplified music and groups
of patrons congregating outside, with officers having witnessed a
statutory noise nuisance on 9 May 2025, and a Noise Abatement
Notice was served on 14 August 2025. The Environmental Protection
Officer made representations of two further complaints after the
Abatement Notice was issued including one complaint on 5 December
2025.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account
the representations from the Environmental Protection Service that
they continued to have concerns about the premises, and they had
not received confirmation that a noise limiter had been installed,
which had been previously recommended by a ward officer. The
Environmental Protection Officer read out a detailed complaint from
5 December 2025 referencing loud music, shouting, and congregation
outside, despite the pub’s efforts.
 
The Sub-Committee heard that the
Environmental Protection Service maintained their objection to this
temporary event because of their concern that late-night events
would cause further distress to local residents, especially given
the history of noise complaints, and the statutory noise nuisance
that was witnessed at the premises before and after the Noise
Abatement Notice was issued.
 
The Sub-Committee took into
consideration the Premises Users representations of the measures
taken to mitigate noise and nuisance, including installing air
conditioning, building a designated smoking area on Stanway Street (away from residential Hoxton
Street), employing a new security team, and keeping capacity
strictly below 100 people for the New Year’s Eve event. The
Premises User made representations that they had fostered a sense
of community and safety in the area.
 
The Sub-Committee heard the Premises
User’s suggested measures to prevent noise nuisance. The
Premises User also made representations about improvements to their
security protocols and ensuring interior doors remain closed to
mitigate noise issues.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account
the Environmental Protection Service
concerns about the track record of
the premises that would undermine the licensing objectives and
would have an impact on the area if this event was permitted.
 
The Sub-Committee felt that
considerably more work is needed to satisfy them that noise from
the premises would remain within acceptable levels.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account
that there were previous noise complaints over a period which is
significant. The Sub-Committee took into consideration the measures
outlined by the Premises User were insufficient and the track
record of the premises was poor. The Sub-Committee felt there were
insufficient measures in place to protect residents from noise
nuisance.
 
The Sub-Committee felt there were no
reassurances from the Premises User that the noise problems would
not reoccur.
 
The Sub-Committee felt the
Environmental Protection Service evidence was very strong on why
this temporary event should not take place. The Sub-Committee
therefore considered that allowing this event to take place in
accordance with the Temporary Event Notice would undermine the
licensing objectives. The Sub-Committee decided that it was
necessary and proportionate to issue a counter notice.