AIBU to give you an update re Church noise?

You can't be the only one OP! What are the other neighbours saying?

From what I recall Nissan it is a tiny street with only two houses. The other occupants are in a state of deep depression about the racket, and are distressed that their adult daughter has nowhere to park, but they are elderly and don't have the energy to complain - and they are afraid of repercussions. OP has been accused of being racist as most of the congregation are black, and have thrown this accusation at her.

@WhyBirdStop I had the same experience as the OP. The licenced premises up the road we frequented required everyone inside by 9pm and no amplified music that could be heard outside. Many signs and requirements to move on quickly and quietly if you left after hours

Yet the bloody church over the road which, when we moved in, was a factory setting CoE church, suddenly embraced Baptists and SDA. Then was able to have screeching every Saturday morning for hours, amplified music at night and screeching and music every Sunday night until 11pm folllowed by two hours of mingling outside.

Churches should not get any free pass compared to a pub. OP I've said before. I've compared noisy churches to licenced premises before to the council and that seems to trigger an immediate shutdown

the Council have all the history of the various complaints over the last four years ... they had all been closed as there had been no further issues after 4 weeks (?!)

the Council lady did not have a note of (the neighbour's) complaint and did not invite them to the meeting

I'm so sorry to be discouraging, quinnie, but you're being played. There's no doubt in my mind that SDAs and Council will take advantage of there being so few neighbours to complain, and that the nature of the church will play a part in their resistance to any real action

I've seen this type of Council intransigence so many times, and frankly I'd be consulting a solicitor by now. If you wish to stay living there it could well be the only way you'll ever get anything done

How would that help?

It's the SDAs not the Methodists that are causing the problem.

Count your blessings. I live next to a railway line and the trains whizz pass my window and are very loud! Didn't think it would bother me as much as it does. I hope I can move in next few months. At least you have lovely prayerful hymns leaking through your walls, maybe your house is being blessed?

However, I also over heard my neighbours have intercourse the other night ad that was quite awkward for me, so I understand how frustrating it is to have poor sound proofing in your house.

I think it's a bit much to expect a church congregation to lower their noise levels. That can't really be controlled. However, I hope you can sort out good sounding proving in your home or find a better place to live for you.
Wishing you all the best.

Maybe you could become a Methodist and go to services at the church ?

@Londonmummy66 - that's all really good advice, but the OP has had this advice before. I hope having started a second thread she can take it up now.

OP I've just read your posts on your original thread - oh my God. I can't believe you've been putting up with this every Saturday for FOUR YEARS. I would have committed murder by now. We had a household recently thumping ear-splitting music out into everyone's gardens when they were having a party, spoiling a beautiful sunny Easter Sunday for about 15-20 gardens (and many, many more households in upper flats besides, as you could easily hear it even with windows closed) and I was incandescent - I had the council round to tell them to knock it off, and climbed on top of some garages at the end of our garden so I could see into their garden, and stood there waving my arms around and bellowing at them

I would have been posting videos online a long time ago to pressurise the church / council into doing something. You have the patience of a saint. (And you'll be canonised long before these inconsiderate cunts )

I've just skim read both threads and spoken to Dear Mama who is a Steward of a Methodist Church (their equivalent of a Churchwarden). She says that as far as pushing the Minister to take action you should:

1. Write to the Church Stewards outlining the various complaints that you have made to the Minister over the past 4 years, complain that he has not at any point taken them seriously and ask to attend a meeting of the Church Council (their equivalent of a PCC which administers the practical running of the Church). At that meeting - ideally attended also by your neighbours - you can re-present all of your complaints, tell them what a living hell they have made your Saturdays, get your neighbour to explain that she has had to give up her teaching on a Saturday and explain that you find the Minister's rejection and inaction on all of your complaints quite unacceptable. Present this as a last chance for the Church to put things right before you follow up legal challenges. Most members of Methodist Church Councils are very committed Christians and should be pretty horrified by what you are having to put up with.
2. Make a formal complaint about the Minister to the Chair of the District to which the Church belongs - this should be over his inaction to deal with the ongoing nuisance. State that over the past four years you have repeatedly asked him to step in and deal with the problem or let you know who to contact at the SDA and that he has persistently refused to take effective action. You can find out which District your church is in here

If the District website doesn't give contact details for the District Chair (not all do) then you can contact Methodist HQ - details here www.methodist.org.uk/contact-us/ and ask them for it.

1. Go and see your local Councillor at one of their surgeries, (details will be on the Council website under Councillors) take the records you have of your complaints and the fact that the noise nuisance team have not investigated in over 4 years. Ideally get your neighbour to come too. Tell the Councillor that you are are about to involve the Ombudsman and ask for their help for one last chance to get the Council to take their statutory duties properly and investigate properly. Suggest a time limit of 30 days after which you will go to the Ombudsman. Refuse offers of mediation as the time for that has passed.
2. Make an appointment to see your MP and explain the situation to them and ask for their help.

Beyond that, I would video any aggressive or anti social behaviour on your phone and show it to the Councillor/MP as evidence that mediation is not appropriate. (I'd include poor parking, noisy gatherings in the street, children running around unsupervised etc etc as well as the plain aggression you have experienced.)

Good luck.

I feel for you in this situation .The trouble here is the Council will probably be unwilling to "rock the boat " as it were .Where did they go before the Methodist Church rented it out I wonder?.Could you speak to the Methodist Church at a higher level do you think?.Some people have services at their homes ,maybe you could suggest that at another meeting?People in the congregation taking it in turns to host?.I hope you get something sorted out .After all "Love thy Neighbour" springs to mind!

Sounds as if living next to this particular church with those particular church goers is more aking to living next to a concert hall. Its also a modern church. At least the council is doing something.

I can never figure out why so many churchy people equate godliness with driving en masse and parking all over grass verges.

who is responsible for monitoring the double yellow lines etc. if it is the council, tell them there is money to be earned there.

Oh op. I really hoped that you had a better meeting but at least it is something. I agree with going to your mp and any higher ups in the methodist church to try and help speed things up.

Hopefully the council will see that you are dealing with unreasonable levels of noise and take action.

I sympathise OP, it's not only the noise nuisance at the time that is devastating, but it is the anticipation and build up that is stressful, knowing that unless you leave your home for a length of time you are going to be assailed by noise you don't like or want. Unless you have experienced it you can not appreciate how awful it is, all I can say is remember how the CIA played loud rock music at the prisoners in Guantanamo, obviously not the same, but illustrates the point that it is well known that persistent loud noises can affect your mental wellbeing negatively .

Ours was neighbours who held very loud karaoke sessions every Sunday afternoon for about four hours. In the end the lovely noise abatement person came round, sat in my sitting room for an hour and wrote down the name of every song played and measured the decibel level. He then wrote to the neighbours and told them if it happened again the council would remove their karaoke equipment and serve them with a nuisance order. All stopped immediately.

Not nearly on the same level as yours OP but I do know how awful it is to have people so dismissive of your right to peace in your own home because of their selfish behaviour.

And wouldn’t be twirping about church bells if groups of people were singing so loud you could hear it in your house all day and standing talking outside your house at 10pm

^^ This. Plus I love the word 'twirping'

I was a little unsure about the "reasonableness" of this post until I read your original post. For them to be so loud at midnight after getting out of the mini busses and then not being considerate enough to quieten down when your husband asked them is not good!

I go to a church which is attached to terraced houses and I know that the neighbours complained a few years ago because of the noise from the worship (especially the drums) my church listened and took this on board by installing sound proofing along that wall which as far as I'm concerned has helped a lot. We only have one service in the morning and very occasional other events (worship evenings etc).

But I would hope that the church you're referring to would respect what you're saying and at least try! Especially as it's affecting your Saturday too. Sorry that this church doesn't seem to be very helpful, not all are like that.

We live next to a pub which can be a real pain with parking and noise, but I suppose we just have to put up with it .. although the parking drives us a bit mad as we're in a small village where we have to park on the road, and they do the same even with a car park across the road! 🙄

If it was a new development with that number of vehicles on a narrow road it probably wouldn't have got planning permission. Can it be approached as a change of use. Perhaps the planning dept can advise.

Some of you suck. And wouldn’t be twirping about church bells if groups of people were singing so loud you could hear it in your house all day and standing talking outside your house at 10pm.

Does the school use your road for access? If so do they ever have Saturday events?

Numbers aren't on your side, that should have said.

I think your idea to go after the parking nuisance is possibly a good one (helps that they meet on a Saturday - reasonable to expect a lot of cars round a church on a Sunday, but not on a Saturday). They also sound like they're breaking the law on the volumes they're exposing their own supporters to and it would be interesting to see their risk assessment for the kids running round unsupervised.

On the down side, if only two houses are affected and one of them isn't very organised about complaining, numbers aren't on their side.

Perhaps you should offer to sell them the house!

That’s quite a poor analogy though WhyBirdsStop pubs and restaurants have to apply for licences to vary their offer, and those in residential areas are particularly carefully managed. If the church had applied in similar circumstances it would have struggled to obtain it due to the hours being kept but as there is no requirement it’s a poor analogy.

There are some right fucking morons on this thread.

WhyBirdStop we did just that - moved across from a small local bar that after about 18 months decided to start pumping loud music until 2am Thursday to Sunday, along with claiming half the footpath to make a terrace. The new crowd like to linger and shout and cackle ages after closing, and yes we and our neighbours have complained. The terrace has been closed by the council and they have to turn off the music at midnight. Getting rid of the cacklers will take more effort but it's not true you have to take a risk and suck it up - if these places are in residential areas and suddenly change use they have to respect the neighbours. Clearly this church is not, OP I hope this improves for you.

Poor OP - you seem to have attracted a lot of "those" posters who don't bother to understand the facts before piling in. Good luck with the noise nuisance.