Residents blast at builders' intrusion

2:20pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter

Residents blast at builders' intrusion Residents blast at builders' intrusion

Householders are seeking legal advice claiming a massive redevelopment will force them out of their homes for two years.

Work started on creating more than 350 student flats at the former Co-op building in London Road, Brighton, earlier this month.

But those in London Terrace, at the back of the 1930 building, claim their homes have been left uninhabitable after they were included as part of the building site.

With lorries constantly using the road, workmen able to peer in the windows and claims that properties are shaking from the work, residents have now demanded Brighton and Hove City Council take immediate action to solve the issues.

One homeowner, who has lived in the street for more than 25 years but did not want to be named, said: “The demolition and construction will take two years and during this time we are expected to live inside a building site.
 

“The levels of noise and disruption are already unbearable. Once the crusher starts it will be impossible to be in the house.

“I have always been a law- abiding and peaceful person but I now understand first hand why protestors chain themselves to buildings to stop a development.”

The plans from Watkins Jones for the former department store, which has been vacant since 2007, were approved by the council’s planning committee in December.

Flats for students at the University of Sussex will be created above shops while the original 1930s facade will be kept.

Until complaints were made, residents said workmen were living on site and working seven days a week.

They added this was contrary to the planning agreement when the development was approved.

A council spokesman said it sympathised and was trying to help.

He said: “Officers have had a number of site visits and meetings with the developers
and the noise diary one of the residents has kept has been helpful in pinpointing specific concerns.

“The developers have now indicated that they will sign up to an enforceable agree- ment specifying working hours and best practical means of controlling noise and dust.

“They have agreed to look at ways of managing the flow of construction traffic in and out of the site to reduce noise and nuisance.

“They have also agreed to install hoardings more than two metres high in front of the site workers’ cabins to help address concerns about intrusiveness.

“We believe these measures will help address the quite reasonable concerns local residents have expressed.”

 

 

Comments(20)

Zorniza says...
2:49pm Sun 3 Mar 13

This brings to mind a period in the 1990s when the university built accomodation around Richmond terrace. I was teaching in the Richmond terrace building and had to put up with incredible amount of nioise AND a terrible amount of dust. Usually free from health problems I remember having to make several visits to the doctor with a number of symptoms which were likely triggered by this unbearable enviornment. I never saw the place get back to normal as I left before the project ended.

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george smith says...
2:55pm Sun 3 Mar 13

To be honest I expect the problems will continue when they have a load of not very bright students in there

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Freeloaders says...
3:41pm Sun 3 Mar 13

Look not one of these people are very rich lol.They would never get away with doing this in a area where the vile rich live.It would have gone on for years before any work had even started.

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s&k says...
5:41pm Sun 3 Mar 13

Can they file for compensation? It was a ridiculous planning decision anyway! Student developments are ruining brighton!

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Dealing with idiots says...
6:20pm Sun 3 Mar 13

I Blame the Green Party.

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NickBtn says...
7:44pm Sun 3 Mar 13

The developers seem to have broken the conditions on their planning conditions. They are new agreeing to stick to them. That's good. The council say residents' concerns are fair.

So where's the punishment for the developers who only seem to follow the rules when they are caught? Hardly an encouragement to behave responsibly on this or other builds. Come on B&HC - fine the developers

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On_the_Level says...
9:17pm Sun 3 Mar 13

Very poor stakeholder management by the developers; high hoardings should have been erected from the outset.

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Hove Actually says...
7:12am Mon 4 Mar 13

Lip service......
By the Developers and the council who will pontificate until it is a done deal then ask what

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Hove Actually says...
7:13am Mon 4 Mar 13

the fuss was for

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Sussex jim says...
9:43am Mon 4 Mar 13

Freeloaders wrote:
Look not one of these people are very rich lol.They would never get away with doing this in a area where the vile rich live.It would have gone on for years before any work had even started.
Would they get away with it in an area where the normal rich live?
take that chip off your shoulder, Freeloader.

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Patsyr says...
12:13pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Freeloaders wrote:
Look not one of these people are very rich lol.They would never get away with doing this in a area where the vile rich live.It would have gone on for years before any work had even started.
If freeloader is a freeloader he should be grateful to the rich, vile or not as they will be keeping him in comfort.Anyway who knows if these people are rich or not, they might be but are still entitled to live without the stress of unreasonable noise, polution and dust.

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Freeloaders says...
4:24pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Patsyr wrote:
Freeloaders wrote:
Look not one of these people are very rich lol.They would never get away with doing this in a area where the vile rich live.It would have gone on for years before any work had even started.
If freeloader is a freeloader he should be grateful to the rich, vile or not as they will be keeping him in comfort.Anyway who knows if these people are rich or not, they might be but are still entitled to live without the stress of unreasonable noise, polution and dust.
How the hell do you know how i live from a post names you silly person.Your post said more about you as a person than it did me.If they were very rich they wouldn't be living in that area,and that does not take a lot of working out.We all read in the Argus every week about some site or another that never even gets off the ground because the locals don't like it for one reason or another.Like you say these poor people are still entitled to live without stress of unreasonable noise,and polution.Im on their side.

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Freeloaders says...
4:38pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Sussex jim wrote:
Freeloaders wrote:
Look not one of these people are very rich lol.They would never get away with doing this in a area where the vile rich live.It would have gone on for years before any work had even started.
Would they get away with it in an area where the normal rich live?
take that chip off your shoulder, Freeloader.
Simple anser to that is know they wouldn't get away with it.The rich would fight in the courts for years with their powerful rich solicitors.Like most things like this in Brighton it would never get started.The companys just get sick of fighting in court,and give up and walk away.The only good thing to get built in this city is the football ground,and that almost took a 15 year fight.They come up with all these good idears for many sites,but nothing ever comes of them.The locals just say not on our door step,and then appeal.It just goes for years,but not with these poor people.

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Choppa says...
5:44pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Dealing with idiots wrote:
I Blame the Green Party.
Idiot!

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nocando says...
5:55pm Mon 4 Mar 13

The difficulty with this site is space and access. I'm hauling the demolition debris away in roll on/off containers on a 32 tonner and this tiny little yard requires half a dozen shunts each getting lined up with the empty and the full one. The problem with the hoarding is that it increases the time the truck's in there with extra noise etc because of reduced space to turn a big lorry in. Its quite an operation and the demolition lads have made a big effort with their site layout to get us turned round and out of there.
I was there there this morning, backed up to the closed gate, waiting to be let in, engine off and rather than sit there looking through the lady with the red hat's window, jumped out and had a natter with them. I wouldn't want my lorry outside my window every day either, its a big noisy brute and I think everyone's caught between the devil and the deep blue sea on this one.
My strategy for the duration of this job is friendliness, empathy and good communication. If I wanted to p**s people off every day for a living I'd be a traffic warden.

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Freeloaders says...
7:11pm Mon 4 Mar 13

LOL great post.Well it put a smile back on my face.Well the last bit did,and so true lol.You sound a top guy nocando,and i understand you guys just have a job to do.Just feel a bit sorry for these people thats all.

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rolivan says...
7:48pm Mon 4 Mar 13

nocando wrote:
The difficulty with this site is space and access. I'm hauling the demolition debris away in roll on/off containers on a 32 tonner and this tiny little yard requires half a dozen shunts each getting lined up with the empty and the full one. The problem with the hoarding is that it increases the time the truck's in there with extra noise etc because of reduced space to turn a big lorry in. Its quite an operation and the demolition lads have made a big effort with their site layout to get us turned round and out of there.
I was there there this morning, backed up to the closed gate, waiting to be let in, engine off and rather than sit there looking through the lady with the red hat's window, jumped out and had a natter with them. I wouldn't want my lorry outside my window every day either, its a big noisy brute and I think everyone's caught between the devil and the deep blue sea on this one.
My strategy for the duration of this job is friendliness, empathy and good communication. If I wanted to p**s people off every day for a living I'd be a traffic warden.
Can't they acces the building from the front surely the headroom is adequate,Just take out one window and replace?

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nocando says...
8:20pm Mon 4 Mar 13

the front is on london rd and the face of the building is being preserved. Plus its illegal for our containers to be on the public highway and our resident bus fascists would have an awful lot to say if their 1 way route was being obstructed by diggers, cranes and lorries. Like the rest of the eastern side of the london rd development, its pretty much got to happen from within its own premises. The sites have a maximum permitted footprint and its very unfortunate for the london terrace residents that they overlook this site's access. The only other option would be to close Baker st and try to drag it all in and out that way but it wouldn't take long for that to cause problems.London terrace is the old co op loading bay, as poor as it is, its the best option they've got.

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Roundbill says...
12:32am Tue 5 Mar 13

Choppa wrote:
Dealing with idiots wrote:
I Blame the Green Party.
Idiot!
The Worldwide Web™ - irony-free since 1991.

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Dealing with idiots says...
8:00am Tue 5 Mar 13

Roundbill wrote:
Choppa wrote:
Dealing with idiots wrote: I Blame the Green Party.
Idiot!
The Worldwide Web™ - irony-free since 1991.
Lol at numpty roundbill, Dr Lucas's paid jester.

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