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A school in Yorkshire has spent taxpayers' money on building a soundproof fence because they fear a noise abatement order and they have cancelled the children's afternoon playtime.
Neighbours complained to the council about the noise the children made in the playground and the council said:
it was aware of complaints made by some of the school's neighbours to the environmental health department at Selby District regarding "excessive noise".
"We are not satisfied that a statutory noise nuisance exists from what amounts to normal use of the school and playground areas," she added.
"Nevertheless we are taking these complaints seriously and wish to maintain good relationships with local residents."
She added that an assessment of noise levels would be taking place over the next month.
I know what I would do if I was the head of that council. In words, which would not be ambiguous, I would let the complainers know: "I have received your complaint and I see no problem. The problem appears to be yours because you bought a house by a school. Schools have outdoor playtimes where children can relax and let off steam. If you were unaware of British school traditions then I suggest you acquaint yourself with them before you buy your next property."
It started with the intimidation of smokers and continued to alcohol consumers and now they've decided children are next. Pandora's box has been opened and now it's going to be impossible to replace the lid.
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19 comments:
Would that be Barlby where playtimes have been cancelled
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-11340226
The Telegraph reports that it is just three rpt three, complainants!
Morning Subrosa.
What a sad post.
Having just returned from a short holiday, one of the outstanding joys of that stay was the happy, exuberant youthful innocent, and yes noisy at times, high spirits of the kids.
The happy banter of these youngster recharged the batteries of this, normally, girny old git.
People should be delighted that our youngsters still have that youthful ‘joie de vivre’ - all too soon they will grow up into surly teenagers.
Yes Elaine, sorry should have mentioned the place, but the whole story is in the source link (I hope!).
That doesn't surprise me WfW, does it you? And yet the lives of so many children are affected by these Righteous.
Good morning John. Pleased to hear you're doing ok.
Like you, the laughter and uninhibited chatter of children always (or nearly always) lifts my spirits. Now these people are intent on inhibiting the wee ones and this council is bending over backwards for, as WfW says, 3 people who bought a house beside a school.
What a country.
I should have said John, now that this council has relented to these individuals, be assured complaints about playgrounds will spread throughout the country. Hence the reference to Pandora's Box.
The solution that allows the kids to run around getting exercise, & is the most cost-effective is...........
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/200806412989126
Just don't ask me if she had the right idea Joe...
The council should compulsory purchase the complainents houses for say fifty quid,knock them down and give the kids a bigger playground.
OK your solution is a bit more moderate.
Also posted on Al Jahoms blog, but as it is relevant;
This school thing is not always as clear cut as it appears.
At the back of us we have a school for 7 to 10 year olds….or there abouts.
School has been there since 1913, no problem….until last year they got a new headmaster.
The bastards there have developed a “game” which appears to consist of twenty of them standing around and LITERALLY screaming, in true “house of horror style”, at the tops of their voices for two periods of twenty minutes per day, and for about three hours after school (They go big on the after school clubs here, and school ends at 14:00..... or something).
The headmaster thinks this is a GREAT way for the bastards to “release energy”, and has actually developed it into a school competition to see who can scream loudest. (We were told that to our faces when we, the nieghbours, went as a “delegation", to complain.
Not only that, but they have a school bell which is LOUD, we have measured this bastard at 200 db, 30 meters away on our balconies, and it is even louder in the garden. This arsehole communist shit head (ALL teachers are such), allows the bastards to “play” with this bell, as it is one of these where two bastards from every class get to be “bell monitor” and whose job it is to “press the button”…. 07:50, 08:00, off goes the bell. Last Monday for TEN FUCKING MINUTES LONG!!, after school, the communist arsehole head (for all teachers are of this sort), actually lets four or five of the bastards into the office to “play with the bell”.
This can go on, with it ringing variously from a few seconds every five seconds or so, to a full fifteen minutes solid one day in August. This is EVERY week day!
As I said, we went to him to complain, and his answer “They are only children having fun”.
So do NOT automatically rip into the people complaining. You do not know the full story.
Although I suspect in the instance reported here, it is not the same as our "school bell problem".
Furor, the local education authority should be onto that immediately. I didn't think Germans tolerated such behaviour. Certainly it wasn't tolerated when I resided there. The children weren't even heard at playtimes.
The council in this story should not have banned playtime until the various noise measurements were taken. They've put the cart before the horse here and that's the problem.
Hello Ollie, good to see you. Aye, I'm a moderate, didn't you know? ;)
Shoot the complainants and bury them in the schools Eco-Garden. Much mulch.
They are worse than townies who buy a second home in the countryside and then moan about being woken by cockcrows, church bells and cows mooing.
Why a school has banned playtime before any scientific tests were carried out is way out of order banned. 'Neighbourly relations'? Suckers who have now started a trend that will be followed by many.
Ah... risk averse teachers ... pedantic jobsworths at the council - the usual heady brew - I think we need to know who made the complaints - three individual people or three from the same people?
We had a a git move into a house next door to a local village pub I was frequenting who made numerous complaints to the council about car doors closing (not slamming mind) at 11:20pm. His house was masked by the adjacent pub so I'd hazard a guess the the nasty git was listening in his garden. Didn't get on with his neighbor on the other side either.
You're right Rosie, people buy a house at the end of a Heathrow runway and then complain about the sound of jet aircraft.
Oh, and Furor, 200dB at 30m - you would have blood gushing from all your orifices - where did you get your acoustic engineer? - the local council? and where did he get his instruments - Poundland?
You're right Gordon, we ought to know who these folk are. After all they've made a formal complaint and why should their names not be made public if they stand by it.
Thanks for mentioning Furor's statistics. You'll realise I know nothing about these matters but I did think 200 was a bit OTT. Your answers are possibly yes and yes. :)
As a bell ringer, I'd also say broadly the same to those who object to the sound of our Church Bells; The Church was there long before your house was built!
I must admit EP, when I used to visit my parents for a few days, it took me at least that to get used to the bells ringing. But they were delightful.
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