So I live above the Payless convenience store on kirkdale, next to the kirkdale book shop. This weekend just gone I was woken early in the morning my contractors using angle grinders etc on paving stones to get underneath the pavements. I was irked to say the least but put up with it, if it needs to be done it needs to be done.
As this week has gone by, the works ceased and I thought it was all over... until tonight. Its 23:30 and they are at it again. I went out to speak to them and apparently this has been approved by the council and moved to this timeslot because the retailers below complained it was impeding their trade. I am told there will be at least another hour of this noise - minimum.
I have no doubt I know one of the main complainants, the same one that ignored a request to switch off their electric generators even though they were pumping carbon monoxide into our flats, including a flat occupied by a mother with 2 young children and at the time, a 6 week old baby.
So, I have logged a complaint with the contractor ( I will apparently get a call back tomorrow), but given this has supposedly been "approved by the council", can any of you tell me who would be the person that made a decsion that felt the retailers should not suffer inconvenience during daylight hours but the residents above and opposite should at midnight? I am guessing about 50-60 flats will be suffering this noise right now.
Any advice will be very gratefully received.
Looking for some council advice
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Parker1970
- Posts: 512
- Joined: 4 Nov 2014 22:36
- Location: Anerely
Re: Looking for some council advice
they would have had to have approval for out of hours working, from either local council highways department or TfL, or both. Sometimes emergency works can be done straight away with retroactive approval, if it really is an emergency. but this doesn't sound like that.
I'd ring Lewisham council, get put through to their highways team, and ask to speak with someone about street works, permitting, or noticing.
The contractor working there should legally have had a board up with a permit number on it, as proof that they're allowed to be there at that time/place. if you have this that'll help - or might prove they're allowed. if there isn't one, that's illegal (unless it's an emergency, out of hours, when they can't get one straight away).
(I work for Highways team in London Borough of Hackney, so assume the same principles apply in Lewisham)
It could also be that the road is traffic sensitive, so doing works within certain hours of high traffic density are not allowed, so therefore more likely to allow out of hours works there.
as I say though, ring the council to be sure.
I'd ring Lewisham council, get put through to their highways team, and ask to speak with someone about street works, permitting, or noticing.
The contractor working there should legally have had a board up with a permit number on it, as proof that they're allowed to be there at that time/place. if you have this that'll help - or might prove they're allowed. if there isn't one, that's illegal (unless it's an emergency, out of hours, when they can't get one straight away).
(I work for Highways team in London Borough of Hackney, so assume the same principles apply in Lewisham)
It could also be that the road is traffic sensitive, so doing works within certain hours of high traffic density are not allowed, so therefore more likely to allow out of hours works there.
as I say though, ring the council to be sure.
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Parker1970
- Posts: 512
- Joined: 4 Nov 2014 22:36
- Location: Anerely
Re: Looking for some council advice
I found a website that details works and apparently it's Virgin Media laying cables to connect a new customer(s) so it's not emergency works like a gas leak. Given that it's the pavement they are cutting up, not the road, the weight of traffic is not an issue.
I've not received a call back from McNicholas (the contractor) yet so I gave them another call only to be told there was no one avaialble, all on other calls and they took my contact details again.
I've not received a call back from McNicholas (the contractor) yet so I gave them another call only to be told there was no one avaialble, all on other calls and they took my contact details again.
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Parker1970
- Posts: 512
- Joined: 4 Nov 2014 22:36
- Location: Anerely
Re: Looking for some council advice
Just got a call back. Very apologetic etc and he did confirm that it was moved to night work and approved by the council due to complaints from "a retailer" whose business it was affecting.
Thankfully, it is done and complete so I am at this stage going to draw a line under it and move on, if it was going to continue I was going to go after the council person who approved it and put their head on a spike (not literally, obviously
)
Thankfully, it is done and complete so I am at this stage going to draw a line under it and move on, if it was going to continue I was going to go after the council person who approved it and put their head on a spike (not literally, obviously
)Re: Looking for some council advice
Parker
Glad all sorted but if I were you I would mail the Council or my Councillor pointing out that there should be consultation before
a similar thing happens again.
One retailer inconvenienced , as opposed to the sleep of about 50 people. No contest.
Glad all sorted but if I were you I would mail the Council or my Councillor pointing out that there should be consultation before
a similar thing happens again.
One retailer inconvenienced , as opposed to the sleep of about 50 people. No contest.
Re: Looking for some council advice
Parker
It does sound like this awful shop is the real culprit - agree the council should have insisted on some kind of compromise eg start work at 7pm , but for me I've not set foot in there since the very unpleasant generator / carbon monoxide incident and I won't ever again . The purpose of a shop is not just to harvest money from drunks and people who have run out of fags - if that's their level of decency then do they deserve anyone's custom - at any time of day ?
A very good evening
Nigel
It does sound like this awful shop is the real culprit - agree the council should have insisted on some kind of compromise eg start work at 7pm , but for me I've not set foot in there since the very unpleasant generator / carbon monoxide incident and I won't ever again . The purpose of a shop is not just to harvest money from drunks and people who have run out of fags - if that's their level of decency then do they deserve anyone's custom - at any time of day ?
A very good evening
Nigel