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social club and charity for the elderly has been stripped of its licence after pensioners allegedly refused to stop holding late night rowdy parties.
Officers visited the Hibiscus Caribbean Elderly Association (HCEA) in Newham at 2.30am on February 9 following a string of complaints about noise.
They said they found the club’s doors wide open and loud music blaring out, while the event’s DJ could be heard 60 metres down the road.
Three weeks later the charity again had to be visited by police and council officers after complaints about “heavy bass music” being played at a “very loud volume” at almost 1am.
A woman in her fifties and a man in his seventies told officers they thought they could keep partying until 2am when challenged about the noise, Newham Licensing Committee heard.
Yesterday the council stripped the club, which offers respite and leisure services for the elderly, of its licence to show films, theatre and music until midnight seven nights a week.
The council said the association had received repeated warnings about its loud parties and complaints from neighbours dating back two years.
In January last year all directors of the HCEA received warning letters after a spate of complaints about noise and these were followed by four more reprimands from the councils noise team.
The association currently has four directors aged 81, 73, 65 and 50.
Environmental health officer Ian Mcconnell said: “This premises has resulted in 24 complaints of noise and antisocial behaviour since 2018. The licence holder has not complied with the terms of their licence or temporary event licences.”
The community centre in Buckingham Road, Stratford has been providing facilities the elderly living in Newham since 1994.
The HCEA leases the building from the council and puts on social activities including dominoes, line dancing, quadrille and karaoke, according to its website.
It has been closed since March because of the Coronavirus pandemic but is still providing day centre exercise classes and social meetings online.
“The members have decided to revoke the licence in this instance,” a spokesman for the licensing committee said.
“They do so with reluctance given some of the productive activities the centre carries out for the local community.
“However they noted with great disappointment the continued refusal of the licence holder to comply with the licensing regime on a number of occasions and their decision to fail to engage with these review proceedings.”
Councillor Patrick Murphy added: “There appears to be an established pattern, although they have been advised this is in breach of their conditions they seem to continue doing it.”
A member of the association was present at the online licensing meeting but did not speak.
A spokesman later said they would be challenging the council’s decision and are seeking legal advice.