An upmarket restaurant is locked in a row with the council and neighbours over an extractor fan that they say creates “unbearable” noise.

Cin Cin, an independent, award-winning Italian restaurant in Western Road, Hove, installed a new extractor fan in April 2025.

According to residents, the previous extractor fan never made any noise.

They say the new fan is audible for several hours at a time, for at least five days a week, and can be heard from adjacent properties and along Holland Mews, the road behind the restaurant.

Cin Cin in Western Road, Hove (Image: Google Maps)

Cin Cin owner David Toscano said they do not want to upset locals and are doing what they can to minimise noise, but that a fan is essential to meet health and safety requirements.

He said they have tried to seek advice from Brighton and Hove City Council for a year with no response and are now taking the issue to court.

Brighton and Hove City Council has said it is “inappropriate for us to comment” while legal proceedings are active but that it takes noise complaints seriously.

A resident has also called for a review of Cin Cin’s license because of the noise, which is currently being reviewed by the council’s licensing team.

Vicky Whitehead, second from left, with other angry neighbours (Image: NQ)

“The noise outside is unbearable”

Vicky Whitehead, who was 38 weeks pregnant at the time of writing, and her partner, moved into their home in Holland Mews in October 2025.

Their home is one of six affected properties and, like their neighbours, the couple say the fan is making it difficult to sleep as well as causing stress, anxiety and even migraines.

“I can hear it in my house even with all the windows closed and the TV on,” she said.

“The most affected room in our house is the baby’s nursery. I’m really concerned about the impact the noise will have on our baby and his sleep and health, given several studies on the impact of environmental noise on children.

“For me personally, worrying about this has caused stress and anxiety as well as migraines from the noise itself.

“I have no idea what the house will be like in summer and the noise outside is unbearable when the fan is on max.

“We’re unable to open our windows, which is a huge concern with a baby on the way who will need careful temperature control to be safe.”

Ms Whitehead and several of her neighbours initially reached out to the owner of Cin Cin directly.

They said that despite some initial communication, they were unable to make progress and the issue was eventually reported to the council.

After months of residents and the council “attempting to negotiate with the owner”, the council paid a visit to the flat of one resident, Rita Congiu, where the noise is “exceptionally loud”, Ms Whitehead said.

She said the council deemed the fan to be a statutory nuisance in January of this year but that Mr Toscano has decided to challenge the issue in court, leaving Ms Whitehead and her neighbours “in limbo” until a date is set.

“It takes a really long time to get a magistrate so it could be six months to a year before we get a date,” Ms Whitehead said.

She added: “We’re in limbo until it goes to court.

“We have the baby arriving and hoped he would have taken voluntary action by now.”

Mr Toscano has said that the restaurant was happy to cooperate regarding the fan, but that the council has “refused to provide any guidance on what the noise level should be or how this should be resolved”.

He also confirmed a resident had applied for a review of Cin Cin’s license because of the noise and they were “engaging with the licensing team during the consultation period at the moment”.

The affected residents upset about the noise (Image: NQ)

Owner of restaurant responds

David Toscano, founder and owner of Cin Cin issued the following statement: “Last April, we replaced two fans which had failed in our extraction system.

“Shortly thereafter, a resident contacted us about a noise from the new fans. We then immediately contacted Brighton and Hove City Council to ask for guidance on this issue as we did not want to create a nuisance.

“We are an independent, locally owned small business with a real connection to the Hove community.

“The extraction is necessary for the safe operation of our business but we obviously do not want to impact local residents in doing so and we understand that noise could impact their enjoyment of time at home. That is why we asked for council’s guidance on what needed to be done.

“Unfortunately, for almost 12 months now, the council has refused to provide any guidance on what the noise level should be or how this should be resolved – we are restaurateurs, not noise experts. We have requested this information from the council on numerous occasions but that has been refused.

“Our last request to the officers involved was then referred to the council’s Freedom of Information department who eventually provided some information but withheld the relevant documents on the basis that it would ‘adversely affect the course of justice’.

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“We are unclear on what that means or why it is relevant here so we have asked for a formal review of that decision.

“It was also interesting to note in those documents that the council had decided in September 2025 that there was no public nuisance from the noise but then reopened the file when residents disagreed with that decision.

“We are sympathetic to the complaints made by residents and we have always said we are prepared to undertake works to reduce the noise if we are given guidance on what that should be.

“But what we cannot afford to do is undertake works without any guidance to then be told by the council that they were insufficient or irrelevant. We are a small hospitality business and a costly error like that would have a significant impact.

“As a result of the council’s refusal to give any guidance, we have had to appeal this issue to the court.

“The extraction is never on for 15 hours a day. We are simply not open for that long a period, and it is not correct to say the extraction is on without breaks.

“Since this issue began, we have been minimising use of the extraction as much as possible to be mindful of the residents. It is only on when needed for the safe operation of our kitchen – for gas and fire safety, for smoke extraction and to minimise humidity in the kitchen which can lead to slips and falls.

“We are very sympathetic to any complaints over noise and as a local business we do not want to cause any distress to residents, but we are following the legal processes with the council and minimising use of our extraction where possible.

“We hope in continuing to do so, we will get some guidance from the council on how this noise issue should be resolved.”

Council statement

Councillor David McGregor, Chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “As court proceedings are underway, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on this matter.

“We take noise complaints seriously and work with all parties, including residents and local businesses, towards finding a resolution.”