Grounds for objecting to a change in use to an ambulance response post

[MinkyWinky]

I live in a quiet residential area. Planning permission has been requested to turn an office in a mews a couple of houses down into an ambulance response post. This will be open 24hours a day. The applications states that the staff will only use sirens when required, but this should be minimal as there isn't much traffic on the roads at night.

My main concern is around the noise throughout the night. The current offices close at 5pm, but the ambulance post would mean people coming and going at all times of the day and night. The area is very quiet - the only thing you normally hear at night are foxes and the occasional drunk wending their merry way home (normally before 12am) - but the ambulance will be called out on and off throughout the night and judging by the carefully worded application will be using the siren.

Can I object to planning permission on these grounds?

[TheOriginalFAB]

You can do what you like but you do seem very churlish.

[CarrieOakey]

Ambulances don't reach for the siren unless need to (or at least they shouldn't). You might get the flicker of a blue light but if your area is as quiet as you say I doubt the sirens will be a problem.

[mosschops30]

Sirens are only generally used in heavy traffic, or general traffic to alert drivers to them.
So if your street it as quiet as you say then they wont use them

[thisisyesterday]

they would only use the siren if they needed to alert people to get out of their way, which is unlikely in the extreme on a quiet road at night.
however, they can't say they won't ever use it can they?

i can't believe people would object to an ambulance response post though quite frankly.
what is the world coming to

[katz]

surely you'd feel reassured by having an ambulance response unit at the end of your road, i know i'd support one rather than object.

[MinkyWinky]

Thanks for your replies. I do appreciate the work the ambulance crews do and it's reassuring to hear the information about the sirens in quiet areas.

[lalalonglegs]

Tbh, I wouldn't be keen either. It seems a strange place to put an ambulance station - they're normally close to major routes not in the middle of estates. Does the office have lots of parking spaces for all the ambulances?

[MinkyWinky]

They're closing a proper ambulance station which is nearby on a business estate and v close to a major road to replace it with this post. I think it's one or two ambulances, so probably not as intrusive as I'm imagining.

[diggingintheribs]

we have one round the corner. Hear the sirens occasionally during the day but I don't think i've heard it at night (have heard the fire engine though!)

DS loves walking past and looking at the ambulances and it is quite comforting to know that if something happens to one of the kids I can carry them round!

[MinkyWinky]

Thanks diggingintheribs. It's reassuring to hear from someone with personal experience:)

[diggingintheribs]

I live in a city centre and there are at least 6 vehicles stationed there so I think you'll be fine!!

[suzikettles]

I live very near to two hospitals and don't often hear sirens. As others have said, they only put them on if they need to let traffic know they're coming, and very, very rarely at night.

[MinkyWinky]

Thanks Suzikettles. That's good to know.

[Laquitar]

If your area is 'quite apart from the occasional drunks' i would actually welcome it for sense of safety and security if not for community spirit.

[seb1]

I live near a hospital with a ambulance station and a heli-pad it wont bother you. And should you ever require one it should be speedy I had a ambulance and rapid response unit at my door in under 3 mins.

[MrsPlesWearsAFez]

I live right next door to a hospital (they pretty much built it around our house), and hardly ever hear sirens. They have to pass our house to get from the main road to A&E (and back to the ambulance station).

We do see flashing blue lights go past occasionally, but it's really not anywhere near the disturbance that I'd expected it to be.

[ObviouslyOblivious]

When I'm not on ML, part of my job includes commenting on planning applications wrt to nuisance. Has the applicant submitted an acoustic report demonstrating how they will comply with your La's planning noise conditions?

[oldenoughtowearpurple]

No sirens allowed at night - not sure of the hours, 11 till 7 or something - and crews find them unnecessary when it's dark anyway and are only allowed to use them to warn traffic when they are on a high priority call. They are all human too and I think you will find they are very considerate. It sounds like you might be getting a 'cover post' rather than a big station. Nowadays ambulances don't wait in gangs at a station for a call, they are spread out over a big area to provide even coverage. It may be that your new site will only have space for one or two ambulances and just be small with some comfy chairs and loos and a tv, and not have anyone there for a lot of the time.

But definitely worth checking out the expected impact on traffic especially nighttime traffic. There are probably plenty of other sites they could use and there is no reason you should roll over just because they are the nice guys from the ambulance service. They will need to leAve in a hurry on blue lights and may need sirens and if the route out means this puts residents in danger then that should be taken into consideration.

[Whorulestheroost]

Op I don't think that you sound at all churlish. you are right to carefully consider how this application will affect you and your neighbourhood. Personally I would not want to hear vehicles coming and going during the night (sirens or not) when it was previously a quiet road. I suppose it's difficult to predict just exactly how much this would affect noise levels etc until it's actually in place. :(

[YummmyMummy]

I'd love an ambulance station on my road! Saying that I'm a bit of a hypercondriac and have some very wild and dangerous kids. Just agreeing with everyone else on the fact that sirens are only used when necessary and I very much doubt that would ever happen during the evening/night/early morning.

[Panzee]

I live near an ambulance station, although I think my area may be more urban than yours, so I'm quite used to traffic. That said I rarely hear sirens. I don't think you're churlish to be seeking information, but I don't think you need to worry too much.