A Rainham hotel's premises licence is under review after years of noise complaints and drugs being found nearby.
Havering Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet tomorrow (July 15) morning to review the premises licence of Berwick Manor Hotel in Berwick Pond Road.
The meeting was triggered by public protection officer George Pater, after claims the hotel’s outdoor events have caused "persistent and unacceptable nuisance to local residents" and breached a notice.
He said the licence review application is based on “complaints continue[d] to be received dating back as far as 2021, despite extensive liaison with the venue".
Berwick Manor Hotel's current licence allows a range of activities including films, music and late-night refreshment, with some permissions running 24 hours a day.
Alcohol sales and music for non-residents are permitted until 1.30am, whilst alcohol for guests is permitted around the clock.
Concerns about noise date back to 2021, according to Mr Pater.
Despite a noise management plan and sound limiter being put in place in November that year, "complaints of nuisance from loud music continued to be received".
By August 2025, licensing officers reported that noise control equipment was not in use and sound was being managed solely through the mixing desk.
A noise abatement notice was served on September 10 last year, but on September 16 officers noted that the full sound system was likely not in use during a follow-up visit.
In May 2026, officers twice found music clearly audible in residential areas, including the voice of a female MC.
Mr Pater is not seeking to revoke the licence, but is requesting a new condition banning regulated entertainment outdoors.
He believes this represents a "fair and proportionate response to the public nuisance occurring” and avoids the more severe step of revocation.
Oisin Daly, of the licensing authority, also supports the review but warned that “neither additional licence conditions nor further management controls are likely to adequately mitigate the risk of continued nuisance" arising from outdoor events.
Mr Daly also raised concerns about drug paraphernalia being discovered in an adjacent field and he also claimed he personally "found a small bag of cannabis" in the main car park.
This was "believed to have been discarded following events held over the preceding weekend".
The cannabis was handed to the premises for "appropriate disposal in their drugs safe".
Two residents have made formal submissions to the committee, supporting the license review meeting.
One resident described hearing "very loud music" that could be understood “word for word across an approx 0.3 mile field" as well as “persistent swearing and sexual innuendos" over the PA system.
Another resident said he has been "directly affected by the operation of the venue for approximately two years".
He said the most significant issue is the "repeated and prolonged public nuisance".
He added: "The nuisance prevents my family from enjoying our home, relaxing in our garden, watching television, opening windows during warm weather or obtaining a reasonable night’s sleep.
"The impact extends far beyond inconvenience.
"Living close to the venue has become a source of ongoing stress and anxiety because every advertised event creates uncertainty about whether another day or evening will be disrupted."
Berwick Manor Hotel has been contacted for comment.
