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Original poster

AIBU to give you an update re Church noise?

365 replies

alittlequinnie · 06/09/2019 08:06

I am not sure if you remember my original thread but I asked people to let me know what would be considered reasonable in relation to noise levels of living next door to a Church.

The thread gathered pace and I left it just before we had a meeting with the Council, the Methodist Church members and the Seventh Day Adventist Members.

Just to let you all know that the meeting went ahead on Friday. The Methodist Minister didn't actually manage to get any representatives from the Seventh Day Adventists to the meeting - he said that he had been waiting for a letter from the Council before asking them. However, he sees them every single Saturday and the meeting has been booked for about 6 weeks so I am not sure why he found it so difficult to verbally tell them.

So there was just my DH and I, the Methodist Minister we deal with, the Council lady and one other Minister (higher up) from the Methodist Church.

Basically we all put our findings - which was mostly my DH and I because we are ones moaning.

There was no defence to the noise - just putting facts really. The Methodist Minister we speak with is a bit of a drip and didn't really have any solutions.

The Council however said that they were just here to fact gather and to see if a solution could be found through mediation.

She did mention that when there is a noise nuisance they usually monitor the property making the noise at the border. This means that any noise leakage at the border can be considered a nuisance.

Obviously the noise is leaking over their border, over our border and into our house so we feel cautiously optimistic that they are breaching "something".

The plan is as follows:

  • We continue to monitor for another 6 weeks now the meeting has taken place to see if any improvement.

*We give a copy of our findings to the Methodist Minister every Sunday so that he can speak with the Seventh Day Adventists about the issues to see what he can do.

*Somebody from the SDA's to come over to our house and give us name and contact number so we can speak with them directly if there is a particular issue

  • Review after 6 weeks.

First Saturday of the 6 weeks was the one just gone. Absolutely no improvement whatsoever - we could hear the lyrics of the hymns they were singing in our bedroom still.

Also we gave the copy of the noise diary to the Minister but nobody from SDA's came over to our house to give us contact details.

Will keep plugging at it but not sure how effective it is to have had the meeting when the SDA's were not there - so frustrating for the Methodist Minister not to manage to do this simple thing!

I'm going to now start to tackle the terrible parking to see if that helps the situation at all. I feel if there are less cars piled on the double yellows, pedestrian crossing, accross my garage and on the zig zag lines there may be less people milling around all together?

Who knows!

OP posts:
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BackforGood · 01/02/2026 20:05

UncannyFanny · 01/02/2026 18:10

Bit like moving next door to a nightclub and then complaining about music.

No it isn't.

I presume you haven't read the thread.

@HotDesertWind (are you the OP with a different name?) . thanks for the update.
That is great news, although not that it took so long.

WhistPie · 01/02/2026 19:28

UncannyFanny · 01/02/2026 18:10

Bit like moving next door to a nightclub and then complaining about music.

What are you talking about?

UncannyFanny · 01/02/2026 18:10

Bit like moving next door to a nightclub and then complaining about music.

YouDancin · 01/02/2026 18:01

Thats brilliant. At last!!

HotDesertWind · 01/02/2026 04:46

To cap this thread off, the SDA are gone! (2023). After a period of respite the Methodists then decided another church group could rent the church on Saturdays.
They also became very noisy (amplified band practice, abusive intimidating shouting...)
The Methodists then did the right thing and asked them to move on. Our right to peaceful enjoyment of property has been restored!
Thank you, to all, who offered encouragement and support to my DW for all the years we've suffered.

SnowlayRoundabout · 31/12/2022 18:14

Sometimesfraught82 · 13/06/2021 19:46

How many times has this happened?

A minor road has become a very busy road.

Countless. Countless times.

And invariable you can’t just stamp your feet and the road building stops!

All sorts of permissions are needed to make a minor road into a major one. Noise and other disturbance to local people will always be taken into account before permission is given.

CoffeeBoy · 31/12/2022 11:00

I remember these threads, also wondering if things got better.

HeatAndEat · 31/12/2022 10:34

@alittlequinnie

I just wondered if things ever improved?

Thanks

Sometimesfraught82 · 14/06/2021 10:49

* Yes, but things must remain within the law. A road is a road, a noisy church is another matter.*

Agreed. However you brought up the road analogy, not me!

Nocutenamesleft · 14/06/2021 09:31

@LemonSwan

At one point we had one was a hell of a lot louder than a jet taking off.

Sounds fabulous! When you can feel the vibrations.

God I need a party lol.

Kind of hoping we get to execute this fantastic plan now Grin

Me too! I’d get to see my old colleagues. I could ring them up and say. Fancy having a concert. Ooh. Who could we get to sing??
PracticingPerson · 13/06/2021 22:00

@Sometimesfraught82

How many times has this happened?

A minor road has become a very busy road.

Countless. Countless times.

And invariable you can’t just stamp your feet and the road building stops!

Yes, but things must remain within the law. A road is a road, a noisy church is another matter.

We don't just allow/accept everything.

Sometimesfraught82 · 13/06/2021 19:46

How many times has this happened?

A minor road has become a very busy road.

Countless. Countless times.

And invariable you can’t just stamp your feet and the road building stops!

Allergictoironing · 13/06/2021 19:01

@Sometimesfraught82

Unlikely to that extent. I lived very close in London, and whilst much more frequent - not even close to this level, not even close.

But my point stands. You move next to a church. Discussions re noise out the window.
Same as move next to a motorway. Discussions re traffic out the window.

OK we'll use your analogy of roads. You move into a house near a B road, used only by a few locals commuting so you expect a bit of noise for an hour or so on weekday mornings and late afternoons. Then they turn this B road into a motorway. By your thinking, "suck it up, you knew there was a road going past your house".

Another one that may make it clearer to you. There's a little town called Biggin Hill in Kent, where there's a tiny ex-Battle of Britain airport now with business flight for private planes with restricted flying hours.

Then at the beginning of this century, they tried to turn it into a commercial airport. This would have meant much noisier tourist flights landing all day & most of the night. Would this have been a "suck it up, you knew there was an airport there" situation? The local council took it to the courts and there are no commercial flights there to this day.

Sometimesfraught82 · 13/06/2021 18:33

Exactly
Do you have a noise level by which you have to comply with? Presumably hours are stipulated but I am curious whether actual decibel level

PracticingPerson · 13/06/2021 18:19

@Sometimesfraught82

You get to do what you like as long as adhere with your licensing arrangement.
This is incorrect, there are acceptable noise levels and a pub can operate happily for 200 years then get a new landlord who makes a nuisance - which can be dealt with.
PracticingPerson · 13/06/2021 18:18

@IsobelRae23

I was coming on to say you were being unreasonable- then I read your other thread.

OP you need a sainthood yourself for putting up with that!

Same here, they sound so inconsiderate - all the peripheral noise is what would annoy me, mor ethan the service itself. If it were just the service you could at least manage that as the times would be regular.

I live near a place of worship and traffic/parking is an issue as it is popular but they are so respectful and considerate with everything that they can control. They are excellent neighbours thus far.

Really feel for you OP.

VariantL1130 · 13/06/2021 17:51

@Sometimesfraught82

Bollocks. If you'd moved next to a church with normal church noise and then suddenly found yourself being blasted with a rock concert level of noise every week you'd be on here complaining as well.

Sometimesfraught82 · 13/06/2021 17:47

You get to do what you like as long as adhere with your licensing arrangement.

Thisseatisnotavailable · 13/06/2021 17:06

* We've lived here for 15 years so yes, obviously the Church was there before us!

That is the most pertinent point*

So. My pub has been here 300 years. The surrounding flats were built about in last 20-50 years, doesn't mean I get to do whatever the fuck I want without any regard for the local community.

OP I hope you get some resolution to this quickly, after having the peace & quiet for the last year or so, when they return you will feel it more than ever.

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 13/06/2021 16:22

You move next to a church. Discussions re noise out the window.
Same as move next to a motorway. Discussions re traffic out the window.

If I moved next to a motorway I would expect motorway noise, not airport runway noise. I assume that the OP expected church noise not nightclub noise. She said on her original thread that she had absolutely no problem with the noise of normal church usage IIRC.

PuzzledObserver · 13/06/2021 16:18

You move next to a church. Discussions re noise out the window.

Not if the amount/type of noise produced by said church changes significantly after you move. Not if the amount/type of noise is such as to comprise a statutory noise nuisance WHICH DID NOT EXIST WHEN YOU MOVED IN.

Sometimesfraught82 · 13/06/2021 15:50

Unlikely to that extent. I lived very close in London, and whilst much more frequent - not even close to this level, not even close.

But my point stands. You move next to a church. Discussions re noise out the window.
Same as move next to a motorway. Discussions re traffic out the window.

Allergictoironing · 13/06/2021 15:47

@Sometimesfraught82

I find this fascinating

I sense in real life you are pleasant, intelligent and articulate person
And yet I truly believe that moving next to a church ruled out any discussion re noise and what’s reasonable.

Just as moving next to a hospital rules out any discussion regarding noise

Moving next to a very busy road rules out any discussion re level of traffic

Etc

I suggest that you DO read the thread. The OP isn't complaining about the bells being rung regularly, or a couple of services on Sundays & maybe the odd wedding/funeral/christening on other days.

In recent years, that is long after she moved next to a Methodist church, this was being rented out to a group of SDA who play exceptionally loud music through amplifiers, and even preach through amplifiers on max. There is a massive difference between Methodist services and SDA services - it's like moving next to small local public football pitch for Sunday fun players, then suddenly it becomes the new Wembley.

All day, from mid morning until past midnight. Then the inconsiderate parking & noise of people shouting while leaving is just an added nuisance.

Sometimesfraught82 · 13/06/2021 15:34

@VariantL1130

I remember your original thread OP. It feels like yesterday since you posted it, it's been a strange couple of years!

I'm glad the pandemic brought you some peace.

To all the people chiming in about "did you really move next to a church to complain about noise"... READ THE FUCKING THREAD

* We've lived here for 15 years so yes, obviously the Church was there before us!*

That is the most pertinent point

VariantL1130 · 13/06/2021 15:32

I remember your original thread OP. It feels like yesterday since you posted it, it's been a strange couple of years!

I'm glad the pandemic brought you some peace.

To all the people chiming in about "did you really move next to a church to complain about noise"... READ THE FUCKING THREAD

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