Sunday 8 March 2009

Olympic Noise!!! Hackney Council Complicit!!


Thanks to all who attended the extra-ordinary meeting this morning. As you all know Hackney Council keeps granting the Olympics permission to work on Sundays.

As everyone - especially those in the front 3 blocks - knows - the noise busy being generated from across the river has grown completely intolerable of late.

But now Hackney Council has been letting us down by granting some 'section' or the other to the Olympics to do this very loud noise on Sundays as well.

That means that there is a 7 day weeks' worth of excruciating noise for Leabank Square!!

We have now had more than enough of it - and are in the process of getting a legal injunction taken out on Hackney Council - preventing them from granting these 'sections' to the Olympics.

No doubt - Hackney Council will say that they have been 'consulting' with some of us - but if by that they mean that Sóna has the occasional telephone conversation with them about this matter - then that is by no means - any kind of 'consultation'!

The conversation normally goes something like being told that the Olympics are a bit behind schedule because of something unforeseen - like British weather - and need to catch up on Sundays. Hackney Council then simply gives them permission as long as the Olympics stick within their limited decibel levels.

This is the sole level of 'consultation being done with Leabank Square at the moment. And the Olympics know this. They also know that Hackney Council are not even monitoring the noise levels independently as their noise recording machine is faulty.

So - when we eventually get the noise data readings from the Olympics themselves (currently 4 months late) - we will all see just how much higher they over the agreed levels - and have to have a 'conversation' about figures that are 4 months old - meanwhile newer noise levels are being broken.

I know that we in Leabank Square do not find this situation acceptable - but how about our readers from outside Leabank Square? Please add your honest comments about whether you think we are being unreasonable or not.


14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Sóna

Please could we also clarify what that 'lead-in' or 'set-up' time ACTUALLY means.

Again- this morning - they simply started doing the actual work at 7.15am. There was no 'lead-in' AT ALL!

Digging, scraping, lifting, etc right from the begining!

I get the feeling that this is just a rogue contractor group - because when I look out over the rest of the park - it seemed a bit quieter than Arena Fields.

Su

Leabank Square said...

Hi Everyone

Please can I remind you to use acceptable language & sentiments when talking about the Olympics.

Now that I've worked out how to moderate the comments, I want to make sure that EVERYTHING that makes it up here is okay to be read by EVERYONE in Leabank Square.

That includes my kids.

But please continue to use the new email adresses set up specifically for more interreting chat. They have been set up specifically not to be hacked or traced by any other interrested parties.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Hey Dude

The new emails are great aren't they? There is no way that anyone can crack a system like that!

Please could you also mention these 7am starts again mate? This is so getting on my wick! I get off shift at 4am get to bed about 6am - then an hour later these engines are revving past my window full throttle!

I agree that Hackney Council should also get the rap for this as they are the ones who are giving the Olympics permission to do all this.

Please Sóna - I really can't take much more of this. It has been a whole month of constant upheaval!

Matt

Anonymous said...

Sóna

I thought you said you were going to call the Canary Wharf bunch about this noise?!

It was so blatantly noisy at 7am this morning that it seems as though they are deliberatley sending us all a message to leave Leabank for good?

Either that, or they are deliberately trying to drive us all mad?!

Sort it out Sóna!!

Bruce

Anonymous said...

Hi

Just got the email. Are you sure she said that they have permission to start at 7am ALL OVER THE SITE?

I thought the intitial 5 borough agreememnt was that they could only start early in areas that DID NOT affect neighbouring residential estates.

Hackney were initially upset with Newham (as the majority stakeholder borough) about the times - and thus stipulated that if the work was to be carried out next to residences, they had to start at 8am.

I have nicked a hard copy of this agreement for you guys - so wait until I hand it over - and then call them back again. Plane Stupid want a copy as well - please could you hand it over at the meeting. DO NOT tell anyone where you got it.

I also have something else you may be interrested in as well. See you tomoz.

b

Anonymous said...

Hi Sóna

It was not too bad this morning actually. Someone must have had a word with someone.

Of course, because ALL CONCERNED are being so evasive and dogmatic, we don't know who to call and thank for a mornings respite from the noise do we?

But please stay on top of it Sóna. I'm not really too concerned about the Omega Works bunch being happy about the noise you mentioned in our email. It's a new build. It has double glazing. It has more C2's living there. It has an Olympic flat in it's block. It has much more benefits from having owner/occupiers living in it.

You REALLY shouldn't compare Leabank Square with Omega Works - chalk & cheese!

Mary

Anonymous said...

Sóna
Hackney Council is definetly to blame!

As we have experienced, he construction companies will do anything not to be fined, and so will make any kinds of promises to the council in order to get longer hours.

Its up to Hackney Council to represent us, its tax payers, in these dicussions. They have clearly failed to do 2 things:

1. They have been led a merry dance by Morrisons about the construction hours.

2. They have in no way made any attempt to monitor construction times & noise decibel levels here in Arena Fields.

This is absolutely shocking behaviour by our local authority! I know we are using the secure email system to discuss how best to punish Hackney Council, but do the rest of the residents all know how to access this system?

Abby

Anonymous said...

Dumela Sóna

BANINGI abangaqondi uma kukhulunywa ngokwelapha okuhlanganisa ukwelulekwa uma unezinkinga zomphefumulo nezinye ezihambisana nakho. Lokhu kwelashwa kuvamise ukuthi kwenziwe kungasetshenziswa mithi.

eiTa
Themba

Anonymous said...

Hi leabanksquare.blogspot.com

I saw your sign along the Lea and decided to pay your site a visit.

This is exactly what the internet was invented for, to galvanise and gel communities who might otherwise never find the time to chat together.

But you have taken it to the next level, and use it as a campaigning tool for the better of your community. Well done!

As to this question of noise? Please fight it as much as you can. We have a similar problem over in Kings Cross (with I suspect, the same construction companies) and our local councillors have been brilliant in supporting us.

There is no way that this level of upheaval is acceptable! They are clearly in the wrong, and as such need to have mitigation measures in place. We got the whole estate fitted with double glazing through them, and it helps a helluva lot.

Keep up the good work.

Suzie Baxter

Anonymous said...

Sóna
We need to clarify this start-up, lead-in, set-up, wind-down, whatever-time for once and for all.

This morning they were changing some diggers jaws and dropping and clanging them with noisy abandon.

A noise is a noise is a noise! It doesn't matter to us what has made the noise, it still wakes my baby up!

Please could you ask both HC & ODA what the hours are exactly?
Judy

Anonymous said...

Hello Shona

What did you think about last nights suggestion about the trees? I know that they probably hate you over in Canary Wharf, but we voted you back in to this liason position because you best understand them.

Please give the tree request a shot at least, you never know, maybe they are looking for a compromise?
Dirk

Anonymous said...

Hello leabanksquare

Of course you're not being unreasonable! Everyone is entitled to a quiet quality of life.

Whether its the Olympics, or in our case, the new Dalston Centre, we are all up against faceless, hard-to-get-names of these giant construction companies, and that means that we have got to use the media to get our stories across.

Don't let them get you down, keep on their backs, even when times are going reasonably okay.

Olu

Anonymous said...

Hey Sóna
I hope that you sent a message to Giorgia thanking her for sorting the 7am noise out?

It really makes all the difference to my kids in the morning. At last they can get ready for school in reasonable peace & quiet. Breakfast is such an important time for us as a family. And when we can't even hear ourselves think, it just starts our day off bad.

Please tell her we are all very grateful.
Mary

Unknown said...

Aren't we always being told the construction is months ahead of schedule?