BRIDGE of Allan residents have voiced their concerns over months of disturbances and noise caused by rowdy students leaving a Henderson Street nightclub.

The club 24 Below, situated in the basement of the Queens Hotel, launched their Jukebox Monday nights in November and the problems of loud, drunken students on Henderson Street and side roads have reportedly been a problem ever since.

Several disgruntled residents attended last month’s Community Council meeting to voice their concerns to the members in the hope of getting some assistance with the problem, with one woman who asked to remain anonymous speaking of her baby being disturbed.

She said: “We have been awoken during the early hours of nearly every Tuesday morning for several months thanks to disturbance and loud noise made by students returning from a night out in the centre of town, which has also woken our young baby. We are concerned that the local nightclub has a 2am licence on a weekday evening and feel this is clearly inappropriate for a residential area. We would ask that the university, police and nightclub do more to work with residents to ensure that noise and disturbance is kept to a minimum.” Representatives from Police Scotland and the hotel management have now been invited to the next Bridge of Allan CC meeting to discuss the matter, after early police enquiries suggest that the noise isn’t any louder than is to be expected outside a nightclub on a main street.

Inspector Patrick Scroggie of the Forth Valley Division said: “Concerns were raised by some residents at the recent Bridge of Allan community council meeting about excessive noise outside a nightclub on Henderson Street. As a consequence, the managing director of the licensed premises and a member of Police Scotland’s licensing department have been invited to the next community council meeting on 15 April, when the matter will be discussed further.

“Police Scotland have been monitoring the situation and early indications are that the noise is no more excessive than outside any other nightclub that sits on a main road.” Community council Chair Gavin Drummond said: “The issue of noise attributed to patrons leaving the Queens Hotel student nights on a Monday evening was raised at our last community council meeting. The community council are keen to find a solution to this problem which is acceptable to all parties. In this connection we hope to have the Manager of the Queens Hotel at our next meeting on 15 April when the community council can learn at first hand what measures are in place or are proposed to deal with the issue. Any concerned resident is welcome to attend this meeting which takes place in the Allan Centre commencing at 7.30pm.”