A POPULAR party venue facing prosecution for refusing to take a marquee down and continuing to use it for events will not be supported by Royston Town Council.

Tony Roach of The Banyers, in Melbourn Street, has applied for retrospective planning permission for the tent, but may face action for non-compliance with an enforcement order by North Herts District Council.

Royston town councillors voted unanimously against granting permission and heard from a resident and fellow councillor who said the venue was causing neighbouring homeowners misery.

Town councillor Lindsay Davidson said: “He was asked to take that marquee down many months ago which he has not done.

“To give you some indication of the situation, the noise when he is having an event in that marquee, and indeed in the grounds of the hotel, can be absolutely horrendous for those of us living around.

“He has live music with discos, singing and pounding beats – it really is awful. In the summer you can’t even sit out in your garden.”

Although councillors said they commiserated with Mr Roach, concerns were raised that although it was an application for temporary permission the bookings seemed to indicate that it would be used more often.

Cllr F John Smith said: “They had only temporary permission soon after it was erected and it’s gone on and on.

“It’s not right to call it temporary permission, or at least it’s not a temporary use of the structure.”

The chairman of the planning control committee Lynn Berry said the hotel was continuing to take bookings when the action was imminent.

“I think it is very bad of The Banyers to allow this to continue and to keep taking bookings when they know there is something in abeyance,” she said

Responding to the news Mr Roach said they no longer held discos in the marquee so noise was not an issue.

And he said he would close the hotel if he could not get planning permission.

“If it gets turned down we will appeal, and if we don’t get it we will shut the place and board it up – it will be another building boarded up in the town, plain and simple,” said Mr Roach.

“If they stop us we will shut the building in January. We have the last party on January 28 and we would close the place after that.”

A decision on the application is expected from the district council in the new year.