COUNCILLORS have gone against the advice of environmental health officers and granted a temporary licence for a pub to host a weekend-long music event.

Mill Hey Brew House in Haworth had submitted an application for a temporary event notice for the weekend of May 25/26 that would allow them to host live music in its car park from 2pm until 10pm.

Environmental health officers said they "did not want it to happen" as they felt such an event would spark complaints from neighbours that could lead to the pub being prosecuted.

But at a meeting of the Bradford District Licensing Panel yesterday, members rejected the advice and approved the plans – meaning the event can go ahead.

The venue has been subject to a number of complaints to the council in recent years, and a noise abatement notice had been issued in 2017. The council had received further complaints after the notice was served, with officers confirming that noise could be heard by neighbours.

It led to a hearing in November where restrictions were placed on live music at the venue.

After the temporary event application was submitted, environmental health officer Charlotte Caygill responded by saying: "I have strong reason to suspect that should a live music event go ahead we will receive further complaints and have to initiate prosecution proceedings."

At the meeting in City Hall, the licensing panel heard from both environmental health officers and applicant Neil Tomlinson.

Mr Tomlinson said: "We ran a similar event last year and it was very successful. It raised money for local charities."

He said there would be between six and eight acts performing each day of the two-day event, and that the venue had "learned lessons" since the abatement notice was issued.

Neil Wincham, an environmental health officer for the council, said: "Environmental health don't want this event to take place, we think it will cause problems.

"The advice I have had is that the department don't have the confidence in Mr Tomlinson running this event without causing noise issues.

"If the event goes ahead there may very well be noise problems that may result in a contravention of the abatement notice, and that may result in a prosecution case going forward."

Keighley West Labour councillor Paul Godwin pointed out that there were a number of outdoor events that took place in Haworth, including the annual 1940s weekend.

After deliberating on the issue, Keighley East Labour councillor Malcolm Slater said: "We have no reason to prevent the event taking place."

The venue was granted a temporary licence on the condition that the music "not be audible at the nearest noise-sensitive premises."