Save The Hamptons

 City Council Ignore mosque Noise Complaints

One of the more alarming elements to the noise and disturbance during Ramadan 2023, was the level of early morning attendance by worshippers, during the protected Night Time Noise period between 11pm and 7am. Think we are overreacting ? Think it didn’t happen ? Take a look at this video sent to us by a local resident.

Now we know this video was supplied to our local ward councillors, Planning Enforcement, Public Protection and Environmental Health. So why was there no follow up monitoring ?

Night Time Noise Regulations

There are now laws in place that define a maximum acceptable amount of noise during 'night hours' which are between 11pm and 7am. After 11pm, permitted noise levels are: 34 dBA (decibels adjusted) where background noise is no higher than 24dBA

The council however, cannot enforce against traffic noise, although we’d argue that particular noise nuisance, only occurs because the Hamptons Mosque is open between 11pm and 7am daily.

Now the sound levels for car parking, doors opening and closing, and cars starting up are well established, and are clearly above the permitted levels for Night Time Noise.

At Hamptons, the rear car park is within 10m of residential properties, and if the grass verge by the tennis courts is used, that’s within 5m of residential properties. The sole entry/exit point for the venue is just 8m from residential properties.

Despite reports of Night Time Noise to Environmental Health, there doesn’t seem to be any attempt to investigate, place sound recorders or ask residents to keep diaries of the noise nuisance.

“It’s only Once A Year/ It’s only for 30 days”

So this is what the parking marshals were told to say if challenged by residents, during the horrendous parking issues during Ramadan. And it’s a similar line repeated by their mates at the City Council, who always downplay the level of noise and disturbance

But it’s not just once a year, or just 30 days, the early morning/late night disturbance is 24/7 for 365 days a year. Whether it’s one car or twenty, the disturbance is constant and continuous, and will only get worse, unless something is done.

One local resident we speak to regularly, is disturbed once or twice a week by early morning arrivals at the Hamptons Mosque, but won’t make a complaint for fear that the council will leak her address.

Maybe the “cleaning” could be done later in the morning

You will of course remember that when challenged by the council about arrivals outside of the opening times of the business, CMS claimed they were “cleaners” or admin staff.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the cleaners arrive at the exact same time as early prayers. and the admin staff leave at the exact same time that late prayers finish,

And it does seem to be a new ploy to bend planning rules for Places of Worship who have no permission to operate during the Night Time Noise period. This is a report of an application passed by Brent Council.

The night time use of the venue was never something that the City Council envisaged, but why aren’t they now using their wide-ranging enforcement powers to protect the residential amenity:

answers on a postcard please

KBO