A LIVE music venue in Newport, due to close this weekend, had its licence restricted yesterday following noise complaints.

Newport council’s licensing sub-committee yesterday reviewed the licence for The 200 Club on Stow Hill, ordering it to close at 11pm each night until a noise assessment is carried out.

The venue is due to close on Sunday, but a review hearing yesterday heard that premises’ owner and licence holder Phillip Gibbs wants to turn the venue into a Mexican-style restaurant.

The venue had not been managed by Mr Gibbs, but by Ashley Sicolo, the grandson of John Sicolo, who ran the legendary TJ’s club on Clarence Place.

Action was taken by council officers after a local resident complained he could hear music from the 200 Club premises.

Noise abatement notices had been served on Mr Sicolo and Mr Gibbs, but complaints continued.

Despite not running the club Mr Gibbs had remained the premises licence holder and until February was the designated premises supervisor (DPS).

He said he had tried to “distance himself” from the way it was run.

Mr Gibbs told the hearing he had been promised he would have been taken off as the DPS and he was surprised that he had been kept on.

Under the conditions the premises’ hours are restricted to 11pm until a full noise assessment has been carried out.