We've had a noise pollution letter from the council!!!

[Stillmonday]

We aren't big DIYers but February my husband fitted us a new kitchen, it took a whole month inbetween work and he always stopped any noise at 6pm.
Now we are doing some decking in the garden whilst on lockdown. Some sawing, sanding & banging again stops at 6pm.
A letter has just arrived warning us of noise pollution and excessive hammering, banging & use of power tools.

Our neighbour was really annoyed when we had our kitchen, they even recorded the noise it made one day but I tried to explain it was a one off and that's what happens when a new kitchen is being fitted.

Now we are quite shocked to receive the letter but don't know where we stand. Are we allowed to finish the decking or shall we not bother?!

incredible.

During this national emergency if your Council waste their time persuing a complaint about you putting decking down after installing a kitchen, we really have things to worry about!

Damn right they should. Otherwise I consider fools would completely take advantage of the situation.

I think the fact they sent the letter during a national emergency means it was worth sending.

Your neighbours being an arse. You aren't working very early in the morning or late into the evening, and I presume that you aren't also playing loud music while working.

Plenty of people are working on their properties here. Lots of DIY projects during the lockdown. I really couldn't give a shit.

Some people do just like to have something to complain about. I have one who even dislikes birds singing in his garden. He got one of those very loud bird scarers that farmers use out in fields - a gas canister with a long metal spout that goes off like a loud gunshot. He used to complain to the council about stuff that never even happened and would distribute letters of his own around the town about noise that only he seemed able to hear.

Take no notice provided that you continue doing nothing unreasonable. Don't listen either to others trying to pick you apart, especially in AIBU.

Damn right they should. Otherwise I consider fools would completely take advantage of the situation.

Nope. The council have said to crack on and its fine.

And most councils are up to their eyes right now, feeding people and keeping alive and safe! Not investigating petty ( and it is beyond petty) complaints like this.

Maybe if Op was building a triple height extension round the clock.

I’ve not read the whole thread but you sound like you’re only wrapped up in yourself! Let the neighbours have some time without any noise fgs

* And most councils are up to their eyes right now, feeding people and keeping alive and safe! Not investigating petty ( and it is beyond petty) complaints like this. *

Incorrect.
The relevant departments are indeed doing this.
But council workers involved in operation of refuse collections; environmental concerns; planning permissions; fly-tipping etc etc - are still very much focussed on their work.

investigating people laying decking ?

A whole month to fit a kitchen? No wonder they are pissed off. And now everyone is stuck at home and the weather is nice and you’re making a load of noise outside. You sound like nightmare neighbours to be honest.

And most councils are up to their eyes right now, feeding people and keeping alive and safe! Not investigating petty ( and it is beyond petty) complaints like this.

No. The last thing we need is for everything to grind to a halt. Yes, one brnach of the council will have a lot of covid related stuff going on. But everyone else is getting on with their jobs, so that everything continues to function. You'd soon complain if the council was too busy with covid to run their refuse collections or fix that pothole in the road, or stalls the planning permission you've been waiting ages for.

who is complaining about pot holes now ffs?

I know! the same people who complain about people laying decking or fitting a kitchen!

And back in the real world that is why the council have told OP it is all fine, ignore the letter and continue laying their decking during appropriate times.

But it’s not an investigation about “laying deck” is it.

It’s a noise issue.

@saraclara - I agree

The 'noise issues' of laying decking. After the noise issues of fitting a kitchen ( for 2hrs a day)

Point is - in my opinion (and most with an eye to the future) think it’s good that councils are still getting involved in local issues beyond corona.

Totally. .@Surprisedtosaytheleast

Relevant ones.

I didn’t know decking was still a thing.

Me neither. IME all the people who built decking when it was trendy have ripped it all out again, chasing the rats as they do so.

Presumably the letter to the council didn’t say what the Op has said. We don’t know what’s true. But for the council to have written - the info in the letter would have been more than just “two hours of deck laying”.

He said they send out hundreds of these letters and not to take it personally as what I'm doing is perfectly normal!

Did you read OP s post @Surprisedtosaytheleast

What never seems to amaze me is how people come on MN for advice about things and most people think OPs must be lying. I really don't understand it. Perhaps I'm a little naive but why on earth would I come on here for advice about something if I was lying. It's weird & pointless.

Fitting a kitchen then doing a garden is hardly excessive.

I haven't asked for anyone's opinion on here, it's totally pointless because how can you have an opinion on something if you can't actually see what's happening or hear the noise.

What I did come on here for was some advice about the letter and if I was in my rights to carry on or if I needed to stop.

Mumsnetters never fail though 🙄

And the 2hrs refers to the blocks of time between 4-6 pm they were fitting the kitchen. Have you read the thread @Surprisedtosaytheleast

@user1480880826 “a whole month” of 2hrs a day, 5 days a week, equating to 40 hours in total. If you think that is a “nightmare” you’ve never lived next to a true nightmare.

@sleepingpup:

Nope.

Are you just a poster who came on here to break MN's rules and be gratuitously unpleasant?

neither actually. You sound particularly unkind.

Decking will take a few more days, maybe a week

Goodness, just big is this deck?

Aren't decks a bit over? Cause of dreadful rat problems IME.

@INeverSaidImNice "Put yourself in their shoes, it's constant noise most days. I'd hate to be the neighbour of someone so self centered"

RTFT FFS. It's 2 hours a day of
NOT constant noise