A York restaurant’s bid to host karaoke until 2am could lead to creeping late night noise disturbing neighbours including a 104-year old, objectors have claimed.
An application to licence Hima Fuji for live music until 2am daily was approved following a City of York Council hearing today (Thursday).
Ze He, the restaurant’s owner, told councillors the licence was only intended to regularise hosting karoake which takes place in booths which are professionally sound-proofed.
But neigbouring resident Richard Bowen said he feared the licence could open the door to live acts performing at the venue which is close to homes and several elderly people.
Councillors approved the application but added a condition which only allows live music in the restaurant’s five karaoke booths at the back of the building.
Asian restaurant Hima Fuji’s applied to allow live music during its existing opening hours of 9am to 2am daily and until 3am on bank holidays and New Year’s Eve.
The premises has been licensed since 2018 and was previously home to Mojo’s Chinese Cuisine which has since shut down.
Hima Fuji’s application stated the application had been lodged after a change in the venue’s layout.
Thursday’s licensing meeting heard the application came after council enforcement officers making a routine visit found works had already been done.
It also heard there had been one complaint about noise at the premises in 2023.
No objections against the application were made by official consultees or responsible authorities such as North Yorkshire Police or the council’s licensing team.
But three objections from people living in Farrar Street and others nearby were lodged, with one branding the application completely insensitive.
They claimed it could see them disturbed by loud music and people leaving the venue in the early hours and fuel antisocial behaviour and parking problems.
Resident Mr Bowen said he was fearful of what he termed licensing creep which could one day result in the premises becoming a fully-fledged music venue if it changes hands.
He said: “The karaoke is perfectly fine, but what concerns me is what this could lead to, a live music licence will make that venue a much more desirable prospect to the type of people who will run that sort of thing.
“One day is is a family-friendly karaoke bar, then one night there’s a band on and lots of students come in and spend a lot of money and then it becomes every night.
“You’ll also have people standing outside smoking and standing, chatting and making a noise up to 2am, there’s elderly people living nearby including one who’s 104.
“Once you open that Pandora’s Box you’re going to have a lot of trouble putting the bands back in and I don’t want to live next to a Fibbers for the next 10 years.”
Fibbers was a well-known live music venue in York which closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The restaurant’s owner said he understood the concerns of neighbours and he would ensure staff were trained to properly deal with noise.
He added the complaint in 2023 happened when he was away from the premises.
The applicant said: “We’ve been running karaoke for the last four years and we’ve only had that one issue, since then we’ve never had any complaints.
“This is only connected to karaoke, that’s what this application’s for, we wouldn’t want a live band on next to people who are eating.
“All the karaoke rooms are sound-proofed and insulated, even if you’re playing loud music inside one if you’re stood in the corridor outside you can barely hear it.
“The majority of our customers are Chinese students who don’t drive, they walk or take taxis here.”
