Luxury Flintshire holiday retreat at centre of rural neighbourhood noise dispute
Neighbours of a £1.6 million luxury holiday retreat in Halkyn say noise and nuisance behaviour from guests has disturbed the village’s peaceful atmosphere.
But the owners of the Old Church School say they have done all they can to try to resolve the issues with residents – leaving both sides at an impasse.
Guy Roberts, who lives with his wife and elderly father in the neighbouring Old School House, say loud music and lights operating into the early hours of the morning and guests partying in the rear garden of the 24-bed property have shattered the quiet rural atmosphere since it opened to guests in October 2025.
“It’s simply not a suitable use for a property in this village,” said Mr Roberts. “When planning went in for a holiday let we thought that was what it would be, but it is almost like a venue.
“We have lived here for 46 years and this has changed the character of the place. I’m a truck driver, my wife is self-employed and has to work early so we need our rest. The noise is so bad my dad, who is deaf, is bothered by it.
“We’ve tried to speak to the landlord, he agreed to put a device on the sound system to cut it off at 11pm but said he can’t stop guests bringing their own, which they are now doing.
“Also the music is often on all day. It seems to be that people are coming for parties at the weekend rather than peaceful week-long holidays.
“They are out in the hot tub at all hours of the day and night and we can’t seem to get anywhere. We have reported it to the police but they can’t do anything and Flintshire County Council have set up equipment to monitor the noise but it is driving us crazy.
“We are not even in peak season yet so goodness knows what it will be like then.”
Mr Roberts has now enlisted the help of Brynford and Halkyn Cllr Fran Lister to find a solution.
“It’s clearly very distressing,” she said. “I remember when this went through planning as a holiday let and we had no objections as long as it’s not too noisy for the neighbours.
“It’s not fair that the neighbours are feeling this impact.”
But a spokesperson for Halkyn Estates Ltd, the company operating the property, said it had been listening to residents’ complaints and trying to find solutions.
“This was a Grade II Listed building that was falling into disrepair,” he said. “We spent £1.6 million to buy the building and refurbish it – preserving it for the community.
“We even included original artefacts, furniture and school photos from when it was a school in the interior.
“We have done everything by the book and I understand the problems residents have. We appreciate the issues around noise which is why we installed a shut-off system.
“We operate a number of properties and this is already a very popular one. We want to be part of the community and work with residents to resolve any issues because ultimately we want the tourism we bring to Halkyn to enhance the area.
“Guests are advised to be considerate of our neighbours and to ensure noise is kept down during unsocial hours.
“Our investment in the Old Church School has brought it back into use in a sustainable way. Between being a school and a holiday let the site was for some time a factory and when we bought it it still had planning classification as one.
“That would have created a lot more noise. We understand that our neighbours have concerns and we would welcome the opportunity to work with them to find a solutions that suits everybody.”
By Alec Doyle – Local Democracy Reporter
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