Bromley locals have blasted plans for a nearby bar to extend its opening hours past 2am, claiming the sound already coming from the venue is a ‘nightmare’ and makes neighbours feel like they’re ‘in a nightclub’.

Sjayz Restaurant on Orpington High Street has applied to Bromley Council for permission to extend its opening hours.

The restaurant and wine bar has requested to stay open until 1am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and until 2.30am from Thursdays to Saturdays.

The venue is currently closed on Mondays and licensed to stay open until 10pm on Sundays and until 11pm on Saturdays and throughout the week.

However, council documents said the restaurant has submitted ten temporary event notices to extend its hours to 2am for once-off events since opening at the end of last year.

The application for the extended hours will be discussed at a licensing meeting for Bromley Council on April 22.

Two separate noise complaints were reportedly received regarding the venue in February this year which are still being investigated by the council.

The current application has received several objections from neighbours of the premises, as well as the authority’s planning department and public health nuisance team.

One neighbour said in their objection: “We can’t have a normal evening at home because it is so noisy it feels like we are in a nightclub.”

They added: “We called the police. They gave us a phone number to complain to and they sent two officers over to check the noise. They could hear the nightmare we have to deal with.”

Another neighbour claimed in their objection that they were often disrupted by ‘unbearably’ loud music and shouting coming from the venue.

Obasi Awa, who owns the restaurant with his wife, said he was surprised by the residents’ objections to the application.

He said people living above the venue had raised concerns about noise coming from the restaurant before soundproofing in the space had been finalised.

Mr Awa told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are still a business that is trying to break into the community.

"We don’t have customers coming here until about 10pm when we shut. I’m running bills. I’m paying the electricity, gas and my workers here. It’s not economically beneficial for myself.”

The owner said he had moved the speakers in the venue from the front of the restaurant to the back six weeks ago to maximise the soundproofing effect.

The restaurant said in its application to the council that CCTV cameras would cover every part of the premises and it would enforce a zero tolerance policy for unruly behaviour.

The venue said: “Sjayz Restaurant, which serves mainly African cuisine provides diversity to the locality.

"However, a good number of our clientele travel from further afield. They consider these visits to Sjayz as special occasions, hence the need to maximise their experience through a time extension.

"We have also noticed that generally, people tend to come out much later at night. We therefore need the council’s encouragement to stay in business.”