Pierluigi's, a restaurant on Beckenham High Street, has won a major court victory in its fight to retain its premises licence, but now faces a fresh battle after a noise expert described its music as "amongst the worst I have ever experienced." The Italian restaurant had its appeal against Bromley Council's decision to suspend its licence and impose restrictions on music granted earlier this month. The court also overturned a more recent decision to revoke the licence altogether.
Noise expert's damning assessment
The council has provided new evidence from Matt McIlroy, an acoustic engineer with 13 years of experience as principal noise and nuisance officer for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He conducted a Statutory Noise Nuisance Assessment on two evenings, July 18 and 25, and stated: "The noise levels experienced on both visits have been amongst the worst I have ever experienced in my time investigating statutory noise nuisance complaints."
McIlroy detailed how bed frames, floors, and kitchen utensils in a nearby home vibrated due to the music. He could easily identify tracks by Chaka Khan and Beyoncé while inside neighbouring properties. One part of his statement reads: "The bass was vibrating the floor and transmitting through the bed frame, at 00:03 the track changed to Drake with the track One Dance, this was very clear with the lyrics being easily identified, the bass continued at an excessive and unreasonable level. I would find it impossible to sleep in this bedroom."
Public safety concerns
McIlroy also raised public safety concerns about dispersal from the restaurant, witnessing speeding cars and customers saying "If you get run over it's their fault" while gesturing towards security staff. The previous decisions in the restaurant's favour came after the council heard evidence from nearby residents that music kept them up at night.
In March 2025, Bromley Council imposed a two-month suspension and removed Pierluigi's ability to play recorded music. Pierluigi's legal representative David Dadds appealed to Bromley Magistrates' Court. The appeal was heard at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on July 1 and granted subject to conditions: management must use "best endeavours" to prevent illegal parking, CCTV must cover all internal and external areas, and acoustic curtains must be fitted and lowered by 10:30pm on weekends or when a DJ plays.
Overturned revocation
The court also overturned Bromley's February decision to revoke Pierluigi's licence, which was based on police evidence that the restaurant failed to provide CCTV footage of an alleged theft despite numerous requests. A spokesperson for Pierluigi's said: "We are delighted that the court carefully examined all the evidence and reached a fair and balanced decision. Pierluigi's has served the Beckenham community for more than 30 years and has consistently sought to work constructively with the authorities while investing in measures to address concerns. We look forward to continuing to welcome customers and contributing to the local economy. We are also making an application to recover our costs too."
Fresh licensing battle
Despite the court victory, the family-run Italian faces an uphill battle to host its late-night "vibes dining" events, where customers listen to a DJ on weekend evenings. The current licence allows it to stay open until 12:30am on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant has applied for Temporary Event Notices (TENs) to stay open until 1:30am over the next two weekends, with all patrons vacating by 1:30am. The council's Licensing Sub-Committee will determine this on July 30. Bromley's environmental health team objected due to ongoing noise complaints and because the application seeks authorisation for up to 499 people at the venue.
