THE hotspots for noisy neighbour complaints in York have been revealed.
About 2,300 complaints were made about noise nuisance in the past year with the most complaints being made about Elvington Airfield and streets in the Acomb and Holgate area of the city, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed.
Over the past year the environmental protection unit (EPU) at City of York Council received the most complaints about Elvington Airfield followed by St Stephen’s Road and Windsor Garth, both in Acomb, and Lindsey Avenue in Holgate.
Complaints made throughout the year to City of York Council included those about domestic noise, from licensed premises and barking dogs.
But the residents on the street with the highest number of complaints said they disagreed their neighbourhood was especially noisy.
Vicki Hill, of St Stephen’s Road, said: “If this is the noisiest street in York we are very lucky people in this city. We get some speeding youngsters and a couple of noisy motorbikes. I don’t think I have ever heard a dog bark and I have never heard any music being played too loud.”
A total of 49 complaints were made to the council about noise coming from Elvington Airfield, 31 complaints about noise in St Stephen’s Road, 27 about Windsor Garth and 25 about Lindsey Avenue.
Swann Street in South Bank was the subject of 22 complaints, Lawrence Street had 21, Bramham Avenue in Chapelfields, Burton Stone Lane and Thoresby Road in Acomb had 20 and Chaloners Road, also in Acomb, was the subject of 19 complaints.
Mike Southcombe, environmental protection manager, said: “The council’s EPU receives thousands of complaints about noise every year.
“We have a legal duty to take reasonable and practical steps to investigate noise complaints. All our complaints are dealt with confidentially.
“I would encourage anyone who is having problems with noise issues to contact the EPU on 01904 551555 during office hours or from 9pm until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.”
In 2010/11, the EPU received 2,309 complaints about noise, 123 complaints about bonfires and 52 about odour.
However, multiple complaints about one address were only counted as one complaint so the overall number of complaints could be significantly higher.
The weekend noise patrol service received 1,247 calls and made 538 visits in the last year.
As a result of evidence obtained by the team, it served 48 notices, witnessed 17 breaches of noise abatement notices and undertook 11 seizures of noise generating equipment.
Sounding out noise problems
NOISY cockerel Caesar has plenty to crow about.
He is to become a TV star, after his early-morning antics earned him a visit from the city council’s noise enforcement team.
A neighbour complained – and now Caesar will feature in a BBC TV documentary about noise complaints in York.
Caesar’s owner, Victoria Herbert, who keeps chickens and grows her own vegetables in the garden of her semi in Lavender Grove, off Boroughbridge Road, is desperate to keep Caesar.
She has been blocking sunlight to his coop to try to stop him crowing so early. Her house backs on to the railway lines, with trains going past all night, so it is hardly the quietest of spots anyway, she says.
Maybe so. But it is not the countryside, either, where you’d expect farmyard noises. A cockerel crowing his heart out in the early hours could well become annoying. It is entirely right, therefore, that council noise abatement officers investigate.
At least Victoria’s neighbours have less to put up with than villagers living near Elvington Airfield apparently suffer.
A Freedom of Information request from The Press has established there were more complaints about noise from people living there than anywhere else in York. St Stephen’s Road and Windsor Garth, both in Acomb, and Lindsey Avenue, in Holgate, were not far behind. To some extent, anyone living in a city – or indeed near a former airfield now used for various motoring events – must expect some noise.
But when it is intrusive, and persistent, and unnecessary – loud music, dogs constantly barking, late-night parties that never seem to end – it can ruin people’s lives.
We should all try to be more considerate neighbours. And when we’re not, the council’s noise team have a legal duty to investigate. Caesar, please take note.
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