The Brisbane Road ground, which had previously been allowed to play music until 1.30am, will also stop selling alcohol at midnight and install noise limiters to all music systems, reports Marco Marcelline

Leyton Orient Football Club has agreed to stop playing music after midnight following noise complaints from 22 residents.
At a Waltham Forest Council licensing hearing on Tuesday (26th November), the Brisbane Road ground, which had previously been allowed to play music until 1.30am, also agreed to stop selling alcohol at midnight and install noise limiters to all amplified music systems.
At the hearing, licensing committee chair Sally Littlejohn and committee members Raja Anwar and Kay Isa heard representations from local residents Jonathan and Mette Barker, who requested the review.
Orient FC CEO Mark Devlin and Lucy Gammons, who heads hospitality and events at the club, also spoke at the hearing.
Jonathan and Mette, who have lived next to the football stadium for 17 years, argued that noise disturbances from events held at the club had taken a “toll” on them mentally, causing sleep problems and making them feel depressed. They specifically blamed pitch hires, including children’s games and charity matches.
They however failed in their bid to revoke the club’s regulated entertainment licence or get music playing hours reduced to 9pm on weekdays and 10pm on weekends.
Another neighbour, who requested not to be named, said that noise from the club had become so disruptive over the recent summer months that he has had to leave his property. He singled out children’s football events in his complaint, saying they were particularly noisy.
Meanwhile, the council’s air quality team told the hearing that they had been receiving noise complaints since June 2023, and had since observed three occasions of statutory nuisance, with two in December 2023, and one in May 2024.
Lisa Gilligan, legal representative for Leyton Orient, said the club acknowledged the applicants’ submissions, and stated that it was not “turning a blind eye” to the situation.
The club said it accepted the council’s condition of installing noise limiters to sound systems, and also proposed further conditions at the hearing, including closing windows when events were taking place.
The club additionally agreed to provide a telephone contact number for residents to contact in the event of any noise issues.
In a statement to the Echo following the hearing, club CEO Devlin said: “We are grateful to Waltham Forest Council for conducting a fair hearing.
“At the hearing, we were forthcoming with suggestions to help reduce some of the noise at non-matchday events and we are pleased that the council have agreed with them.
“We will implement these immediately and look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the council and the vast majority of our neighbours.”
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