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Scotsman
14-07-2025
- Scotsman
Owner of East Lothian ‘party flat' brands sex noise complaints ‘ridiculous'
The operator of a short term holiday flat where neighbours claimed guests had sex so 'vigorously' a clock fell off the wall of the flat downstairs, is appealing after planners refused to approve its use. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Alan Montgomery insists the top floor flat in Musselburgh is not used any differently than if it was a residential home – despite also claiming he has welcomed 'thousands' of guests in its first 36 months of business. Mr Montgomery has appealed to East Lothian Council's Local Review Body after planners refused to grant him planning permission to operate the flat as a short term let. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And he branded claims by neighbours that guests caused disturbance, waste and noise 'ridiculous'. The top floor flat of beach side building in Musselburgh was refused planning permission to carry on operating as a short term holiday let | Google Maps Mr Montgomery, who applied for planning permission under Montgomery Empire Ltd, argued that the fact the council's licensing sub committee had granted a temporary licence to operate the flat last year despite the same neighbours' complaints meant planning permission should be granted. And he said improvements requested by the licensing committee including the addition of carpets over wooden floors and a noise monitor should also be considered. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Neighbours in the building had told licensing chiefs the property on Edinburgh Road, had been used as a 'party flat', with incidents including men urinating in gardens, a drunken hen party and police being called to an incident involving drunken golfers. One objector wrote: 'One couple decided to have sex so vigorously and loudly in the living room of the flat that they caused the (downstairs neighbour's) clock to fall off the wall and it was damaged.' However Mr Montgomery was granted an 18 month licence after agreeing to make changes to ensure there were no future disturbances. He denied claims it was a party flat and said he would ensure no guests were able to book single night stays. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Montgomery applied for a retrospective change of use of the flat to a short term let after he was refused a Certificate of Lawfulness by planners and lost an appeal to Scottish Ministers. Planners refused the application saying the holiday use was 'incompatible with and harmful to ' the amenity of other residents in the block. In his appeal Mr Montgomery challenges claims from neighbours about problems at the block as 'ridiculous'. And he said of one complaint about guests hanging washing on residents' lines in the back green: 'Since operating for 36 months involving thousands of guests staying at this property, one person hung a towel on her washing line not realising the back green drying area was off limits. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This happened within the first month of operating so we have since notified guests in advance that this is forbidden. Condemning one rogue guest out of thousands does not justify her reasoning.' The appeal will go before the review body next month.
Edinburgh Reporter
10-07-2025
- Edinburgh Reporter
Owner of holiday flat at centre of sex complaint appeals
The operator of a short term holiday flat where neighbours claimed guests had sex so 'vigorously' a clock fell off the wall of the flat downstairs, is appealing after planners refused to approve its use. Alan Montgomery insists the top floor flat in Musselburgh is not used any differently than if it was a residential home – despite also claiming he has welcomed 'thousands' of guests in its first 36 months of business. Mr Montgomery has appealed to East Lothian Council's Local Review Body after planners refused to grant him planning permission to operate the flat as a short term let. And he branded claims by neighbours that guests caused disturbance, waste and noise 'ridiculous'. Mr Montgomery, who applied for planning permission under Montgomery Empire Ltd, argued that the fact the council's licensing sub committee had granted a temporary licence to operate the flat last year despite the same neighbours' complaints meant planning permission should be granted. And he said improvements requested by the licensing committee including the addition of carpets over wooden floors and a noise monitor should also be considered. Neighbours in the building had told licensing chiefs the property on Edinburgh Road, had been used as a 'party flat', with incidents including men urinating in gardens, a drunken hen party and police being called to an incident involving drunken golfers. One objector wrote: 'One couple decided to have sex so vigorously and loudly in the living room of the flat that they caused the (downstairs neighbour's) clock to fall off the wall and it was damaged.' However Mr Montgomery was granted an 18 month licence after agreeing to make changes to ensure there were no future disturbances. He denied claims it was a party flat and said he would ensure no guests were able to book single night stays. Mr Montgomery applied for a retrospective change of use of the flat to a short term let after he was refused a Certificate of Lawfulness by planners and lost an appeal to Scottish Ministers. Planners refused the application saying the holiday use was 'incompatible with and harmful to ' the amenity of other residents in the block. In his appeal Mr Montgomery challenges claims from neighbours about problems at the block as 'ridiculous'. And he said of one complaint about guests hanging washing on residents' lines in the back green: 'Since operating for 36 months involving thousands of guests staying at this property, one person hung a towel on her washing line not realising the back green drying area was of limits. 'This happened within the first month of operating so we since notify guests in advance that this is forbidden. Condemning one rogue guest out of thousands does not justify her reasoning.' The appeal will go before the review body next month. By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
10-07-2025
- Edinburgh Live
Operator of East Lothian holiday let brands sex noise complaints 'ridiculous'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The operator of a short term holiday flat where neighbours claimed guests had sex so 'vigorously' a clock fell off the wall of the flat downstairs, is appealing after planners refused to approve its use. Alan Montgomery insists the top floor flat in Musselburgh is not used any differently than if it was a residential home - despite also claiming he has welcomed "thousands" of guests in its first 36 months of business. Mr Montgomery has appealed to East Lothian Council's Local Review Body after planners refused to grant him planning permission to operate the flat as a short term let. And he branded claims by neighbours that guests caused disturbance, waste and noise 'ridiculous'. Mr Montgomery, who applied for planning permission under Montgomery Empire Ltd, argued that the fact the council's licensing sub committee had granted a temporary licence to operate the flat last year despite the same neighbours' complaints meant planning permission should be granted. And he said improvements requested by the licensing committee including the addition of carpets over wooden floors and a noise monitor should also be considered. Neighbours in the building had told licensing chiefs the property on Edinburgh Road, had been used as a 'party flat', with incidents including men urinating in gardens, a drunken hen party and police being called to an incident involving drunken golfers. One objector wrote: 'One couple decided to have sex so vigorously and loudly in the living room of the flat that they caused the (downstairs neighbour's) clock to fall off the wall and it was damaged.' However Mr Montgomery was granted an 18 month licence after agreeing to make changes to ensure there were no future disturbances. He denied claims it was a party flat and said he would ensure no guests were able to book single night stays. Mr Montgomery applied for a retrospective change of use of the flat to a short term let after he was refused a Certificate of Lawfulness by planners and lost an appeal to Scottish Ministers. Planners refused the application saying the holiday use was "incompatible with and harmful to " the amenity of other residents in the block. In his appeal Mr Montgomery challenges claims from neighbours about problems at the block as "ridiculous". And he said of one complaint about guests hanging washing on residents' lines in the back green: "Since operating for 36 months involving thousands of guests staying at this property, one person hung a towel on her washing line not realising the back green drying area was of limits. "This happened within the first month of operating so we since notify guests in advance that this is forbidden. Condemning one rogue guest out of thousands does not justify her reasoning." The appeal will go before the review body next month.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The key factors shaping China's biopharma boom
This story was originally published on PharmaVoice. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily PharmaVoice newsletter. China's footprint on the global pharma landscape has been growing. In December, Merck & Co. tapped China-based biotech Hansoh Pharma to license an investigational, preclinical, oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist in a deal that could be worth up to $1.9 billion. The deal sparked headlines not only because it marked a move into the GLP-1 space for Merck, which is broadening its pipeline as Keytruda's patent cliff looms. It's also part of a bigger story about China's rise as a potential innovative superpower in pharma. Across the industry's total clinical pipeline, at least one-fifth of development programs involve a Chinese company, according to data from Evaluate Pharma. In terms of clinical trials, China is No. 2 behind the United States. But larger geopolitical forces could throw cold water onto these types of licensing deals — from the in-limbo Biosecure Act, which would require U.S. companies to sever contracts with some Chinese manufacturing and research organizations, to the impact of increased tariffs on manufacturing costs and Chinese-American relations. As U.S.-based and multinational pharma companies look to leverage the cutting-edge technologies emerging from China, here are four key factors at play. Chinese companies are flexing their drug development muscles across technologies and disease states. Among them is bispecifics, as evidenced by ivonescimab, a drug discovered by China-based biotech Akeso that bested Keytruda in slowing lung cancer progression in results from a phase 3 trial released last year. China-based companies are also strong in the CAR-T cell therapy space. A review of the industry's CAR-T pipeline showed that more than 50% of the candidates were China-originated or China-partnered. Among those companies is CARsgen Therapeutics, which announced positive phase 2 data for its advanced stomach cancer treatment in December. Chinese firms are also making waves in CRISPR gene-editing, thanks to companies like HuidaGene Therapeutics, which scored an IND from the FDA in November for the first CRISPR/Cas13 RNA-editing therapy in macular degeneration. Other bustling areas of R&D in China include oncology, particularly antibody-drug conjugates, obesity, immunology, and cardiometabolic, said Alan Montgomery, partner and co-head of pharmaceuticals at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. Not only is there 'a lot of interesting science being developed in China,' but the sector benefits from significant investment from the Chinese government, Montgomery said. 'It's been a deliberate strategy of theirs, particularly investing in R&D and technological innovation, so there's been a huge amount of capital being put into the space by the Chinese government,' he said, noting that the situation offers the Chinese pharma industry lower costs and faster turnarounds. 'Chinese companies have been able to scale up and push [into] clinical trials more quickly than other jurisdictions,' he said. Unlike the U.S., venture capital funding is not the same in China, making licensing deals especially appealing to Chinese companies. 'They want to access liquidity, they want to access cash to push forward R&D programs,' he said. In 2022, Eli Lilly and Innovent Biologics were thrown bad news from the FDA, which rejected their China-developed cancer immunotherapy sintilimab. The key criticism was that the pair's phase 3 clinical trial was conducted solely in China and was 'not reflective of the diverse ethnic subgroups within the U.S. population,' the agency said. It recommended that the companies conduct an additional multiregional clinical trial. Now, companies are seeking licensing deals earlier in the drug development process when they can craft a clinical trials plan more in line with the FDA's requirements. The Merck-Hansoh deal is a recent case in point. 'Catching something at an earlier stage is more affordable, it allows you to take more bets [and] diversify a bit more, and it allows you to influence the development program and clinical trials,' Montgomery said. While tariffs and the Biosecure Act are top of mind in pharma, China's export control regulations also restrict or prohibit exports of certain critical technologies, such as its ban on rare earth extraction and separation technologies. 'China has prohibited categories and restricted categories in terms of items that cannot be exported or can only be exported with a permit,' Montgomery said. While Montgomery hasn't seen these restrictions apply to the pharma industry more broadly, he said, 'there's a question as to whether the regulations might be extended to the export of other technologies, too.' 'I don't think anybody knows the answers to these questions,' he said. Recommended Reading 'The bar has risen': China's biotech gains push US companies to adapt Sign in to access your portfolio
