The owners of The Wreck in St Ives have denied their premises is wrecking neighbours’ lives.

It came after residents and fellow business owners on the street said noise from the bar was impacting their wellbeing and trade.

The comments came during a Cornwall Council licensing committee meeting on Wednesday, August 6 which was deliberating an application to update a premises licence for the sports bar, which is based on the first floor of a multi-use building on Fish Street in the town.

The bar – which is positioned beneath flats and above shops – opened a year ago replacing the former One Fish Street restaurant, but has still been operating on a food establishment licence rather than as a pub.

The meeting heard there had been representations from two authorities and four members of the public who had concerns about the licence being granted. However, the applicant’s agent and Devon and Cornwall Police’s licensing department had since agreed extra conditions, though no agreement had been made with the council’s environmental health protection officer.

Jon Payne, a lawyer representing the applicants, said the current licence includes live music until 11pm and supply of alcohol seven days a week until midnight, which wouldn’t change. The intention of the application was to allow The Wreck to move away from primary restaurant use.

Charlotte Jones, one of the bar’s directors, told the committee: “The Wreck is a humble bar within a busy town. We’re family-run, family-friendly and very welcoming to all. In fact, we’ve had ladies tell us we’re one of the few premises in town where they feel happy to spend time unaccompanied, which we take a lot of pride in. Our aim was always to be a welcoming community hub, selling drinks at reasonable prices – the sort of premises we feel have sadly died out in this town.”

She said they tried to work with the shops based below their bar after concerns were raised – they adjusted a speaker to reduce a problem with the bass and pinned the door back in the summer months to stop it banging every time a customer entered. They also do their best to ensure all deliveries are made on the same day to avoid disturbance.

“We have made our best efforts to work with our neighbours and not against them,” added Ms Jones.

A Cornwall Council environmental health officer said she had tried to reach an agreement with the applicant regarding noise mitigation before a previous licensing application was withdrawn. “Noise is obviously a concern,” said the officer.

A statement was read out on behalf of Savannah Overy, of St Ives Ceramics, which is situated beneath the bar. She said: “I recognise that St Ives is a holiday destination with numerous bars and pubs, but I believe The Wreck’s current location is unsuitable for a venue that operates as a drinking establishment throughout the day and night.

“The noise levels are already disruptive from lunchtime till late. It’s important to highlight that since The Wreck opened over a year ago they have constantly failed to adhere to their licensing requirements. They recently sought a variation of their existing licence which was denied, but continue to function as if they have a licence for wet sales only, on and off the premises without offering any food.

“Our business is being adversely affected by these operations. We’ve received numerous complaints from clients and customers about the noise, which is directly impacting our sales. The noise generated by The Wreck is also taking its toll on staff who find it challenging, resulting in wearing earplugs to complete their work. This situation is affecting their mental wellbeing and we are acutely aware this environment is not conducive to a healthy work place.”

Cllr Brian Clemens, a member of the committee, said it “beggars belief” that staff had to wear earplugs at work. “Absolutely,” said the spokeswoman for the gallery. “The noise is directly above the desk and the background noise is constant as it would be in a lively sports bar. You hear cheering, shouting, swearing and, from my personal experience, it’s a difficult environment to be in.”

Tim Glews, who lives in a neighbouring house on Fish Street with his wife, said they tolerated noise from live music at the Sloop pub opposite “because we moved to that noise, it was there before we moved into our house and we accept that it finishes at a reasonable time. However, if The Wreck is allowed to have live or recorded music until midnight, the situation for us as residents of this street would become intolerable”.

He added: “Should the licensing committee approve this licensing application, it would be equivalent to having a nightclub operating in Fish Street, which is not fair to residents or holidaymakers staying in the street. People have vomited outside our house on several occasions. I’ve asked people to move on at 1 and 2 in the morning as they’ve been crying, screaming and swearing. None of this happened before The Wreck opened.”

Mr Glews – who was an environmental protection officer for over 40 years and was also speaking on behalf of another neighbour – said the noise had an effect on his and his wife’s ability to sleep and their wellbeing. Barry Jackson, who owns a shop below The Wreck and rents it out to a business called Illustrated Living, also spoke against the application.

The bar’s solicitor responded: “There is no intention of deliberately annoying anybody. Of course that’s not the purpose of this premises. Some of the comments have been slightly disingenuous because the situation is that this isn’t turning into a nightclub. Actually, what is being sought in many respects is exactly what has already been authorised on the existing licence and in some ways a little bit of a cutback from that.”

Mr Payne said that the applicants were willing to work with people in the area.”If they are told there is a problem, the evidence is they will work to resolve it.”

Ms Thomas responded to neighbours’ comments, stressing the business hadn’t applied for an extension of its opening hours. “If anything, we’ve come to an agreement with the police to lose a number of our additional non-standard timings. I try very hard to stop people hanging around outside.”

She added: “Fish Street where we are based and Mr Glews resides is the main route into the whole of Downalong which is a big area where, in the summer months, the population probably increases tenfold because it’s all holiday lets and a lot of tourists stay down there. There’s a constant stream of people going through there late at night even when we’re closed.

“We live not too far away and have observed people wailing, screaming and shouting at each other when The Wreck is closed. I don’t think us being there or not being there would have a big impact on any disturbance coming up that street.”

The directors said they hadn’t received direct contact from the Glews and refuted some of Mr Glews’ comments. The bar owners said they had also noticed noise on the street and investigated to find it had come from other premises elsewhere on the harbour.

“I don’t feel we’re the evil we’re being portrayed as and it’s quite upsetting,” added Ms Jones’ partner Billy Thomas, who is a fellow director of the bar.

Following 90 minutes of deliberation, the committee granted the premises licence with additional and amended conditions, including entertainment being regulated and controlled so as not to cause public nuisance and that half-hourly noise inspections of the bar’s boundary be carried out while music is being played or performed.

Signs should also be put up in the bar asking customers to consider neighbours when they leave the premises and be as quiet as possible.