Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

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Nigel
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Joined: 22 May 2005 16:12
Location: Laurie Park

Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Nigel »

Well it's day two of a wedding or shouid I say night two , incredibly loud amplified music from a marquee in the garden .
Understand a " gathering " tomorrow but not a " celebration " so presumably only 3000 watt rig with a stack of subwoofers .

In case anyone thought it was noise - it's not , it's kulcha . I remember when I got married my reception was in a sweet little all in Dulwich with a decibel meter on the wall . I somehow didn't feel entitled to blast my neighbours for 3 days without telling them in advance even .

I feel so intolerant for even noticing - will try and embrace it tomorrow and be less clingy to my own habit ( it's hardly culture is it ? ) of respecting my neighbours .

A very good evening
Nigel
stuart
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Location: Lawrie Park
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by stuart »

Thank goodness for your post Nigel. I was a little worried you and a few friends were rehersing a new genre, 'gone electric' and turned it up to 11 in Borderland.

That would have been a bit Bob Dylanish '66 style.

Another night? Can you get a few of your larger neighbourly friends to have a word? Oh and if you could get them to dim the lights or at least point them away from our bedroom would be a bonus.

Stuart
Nigel
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Joined: 22 May 2005 16:12
Location: Laurie Park

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Nigel »

Stuart
It is mind boggling how they think they can do what most people pay for a venue to do . Having asked politely I'm now about to phone up and see if lewisham enviroclall still works .
Suggest you do the same - I'm back tomorrow and if it it scheduled for a third night I am knocking on every door and calling the police for what it's worth .
A very good evening
Nigel
stuart
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by stuart »

Just had the rozzers at the door. We were being besiged by a car alarm in our street just to complete a perfect evening.

Did mention it to them but your neighbours had inconveniently turned the racket and their cheering down at that moment so no action from there I fear.

Stuart
Eagle
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Joined: 7 Oct 2004 06:36
Location: F Hill

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Eagle »

Stuart and Nigel

My sympathy. These offenders deserve penal servitude. Totally anti social.

Bet you thought with demise of Zanzibar Sydenham going up.
bensonby
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Location: Kent

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by bensonby »

The police have no powers to deal with noise complaints. Call the council: they have the statutory responsibility to investigate. Don't hold put much hope of them actually prosecuting though: I did an FOI request a short while ago asking how many prosecutions they undertook v the number of complaints and it was derisory. I seem to remember it ran at about 2 prosecutions a year.
Eagle
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Eagle »

I appreciate Bensonby you do not make the law , but I find it very strange why Police could not get involved as these incidents , if persistent , can often lead to violence.
Nigel
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Joined: 22 May 2005 16:12
Location: Laurie Park

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Nigel »

Eagle
I suppose it depends on if a breach of The Peace ( as opposed to my peace ) is imminent .LBL have been good in the past I didn't call them as it stopped at 11 and I wanted to go to sleep .
I intend to write to the offending household to at least spell out what antisocial , useless articles they are . I will remind them , after such contempt for their neighbours , not to even ask to borrow my watering can - even if their house is burning down .
A very peaceful afternoon
Nigel
Eagle
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Eagle »

What seems strange Nigel is that the authorities are reluctant to charge somebody before 11pm
( of afterwards ).
Loud and offensive noise is a problem any hour of the day.
Mattm1984
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Joined: 6 Sep 2015 21:18
Location: LAWRIE PARK ROAD

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Mattm1984 »

Hi all, I am an acoustic consultant, I've only just seen this otherwise I'd have offered to take some noise measurements to help your case.

Noise is an issue day or night but councils will act upon what is unreasonable, and something during the day that happens very infrequently would be considered untypical and would probably not take any action.

However post 23:00 this is when the reasonable person is likely to he heading to bed and therefore the seriousness changes. Councils are duty bound to investigate but this is can sometimes be the day or week after and not all councils have out if hours teams and they can only deem it a statutory nuisance if they witness the noise.

So these sort if complaints will rarely have any cause for investigation because it's infrequent.

The usual course would be noise diaries that sort of thing which do little good in the short term.

The other option would be a private action but again for short term issues this would be to long and drawn out a process.

Unfortunately the councils with various cut backs and stripped back out of hour services which means issues arising of this nature just go under the radar.

We've had noisy neighbours in the past, no sleep for anyone but the council just sent out diary sheets the next working day. I feel your pain.
Sydenham
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Location: Wells Park

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Sydenham »

Nigel - is another suggestion, especially if it is a neighbour, that you ask to be included and invited. Then you can join in the celebrations of your neighbours - we are one community. Turn the event into a positive.

Before too much laughter I am saying this totally 'tongue in cheek' and perhaps not a serious suggestion.

The point I'm trying to make is that we live in a totally built up area of the world - it isn't a quiet rural retreat. Noise goes on around us. We also live close by lots of other people. We are neighbours and connected whether we like it or not. We are not isolated (however much we might want to keep to ourselves). Living in London means being affected by everyone and everything around us.

By actively engaging with neighbours throughout the year then perhaps we would be included in thoughts when extraordinary (i.e. family events) celebrations occur. By their nature they are one offs. Analogous to the tradition that everyone in the village gets invited.

Probably not a realistic proposition here I realise - but just a thought.
Eagle
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Eagle »

Sydenham
We cannot expect total peace , but speakers as described are utterly unacceptable in a private residence or garden.

I would not imagine Nigel , a cultured gent , would want to be invited to such a rabble.
Nigel
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Location: Laurie Park

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Nigel »

mattm
Thanks for the concern and suggestions of help . Mercifully they are not like generally - in a way all the more staggering that fairly respectable , though obviously contemptuous people would plan a loud amplified celebration from 4pm to 11 pm on two consecutive days .

Sydenham, i do have good relations , with my excellent neighbours . I don't personally know these people .
I cant really afford to infiltrate and socialise with every group that chooses to shatter everyones peace - i don't think your suggestion is exactly practical . It puts the onus on the victim for one thing and it makes some pretty bug assumptions about me , to say the least .

I have been to a similar wedding - it was huge and loud but it was in a marquee in the middle of nowhere as the family had the consideration for others and wouldn't want to rob neighbours of two days of peace and right to enjoy their property and gardens . It wad a wonderful event hosted by lovely people .

If a decide to have a Bartok festival in my garden next summer , would you blame my neighbours for not wishing hear to several , loudly amplified versions of his violin duos all afternoon and beyond the time many of them would be asleep ? And would you suggest that they make friends with the pig that planned it ?

A very good evening
Nigel
Rachael
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Joined: 23 Jan 2010 13:42
Location: Sydenham / Forest Hill Intersection

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Rachael »

Wait - they turned the music off at 11pm? And it was a special event unlikely to be repeated? Neighbours sometimes have parties. They sometimes have very loud parties. As long as they are not doing it every weekend in the wee hours, it's not something I would complain about.
Eagle
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Eagle »

Rachael

I accept your point Rachael but in Lewisham we can have 50 odd neighbours in close earshot if loud.

If they all have only two events a year that is 100 disturbed days .

Surely no need for speakers in a residential area.

Guess we ought to be pleased not Playing Rolf Harris.
stuart
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Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by stuart »

Rachael, Absolutely. It was a hideous noise. It was thoughtless and people like me assumed we would have neither privacy nor sleep until it stopped unexpectantly at the witching hour. Hence Nigel and myself did what British people are supposed to do in such circumstances - write a stiff letter to the Times (or a post to STF if you don't want it hidden behind a paywall). Its less trouble than trying to remember where you hid the ammo for the family AK-47

No lives were lost, animals injured or (for us) beauty sleep disturbed. I will, however, be joining Nigel in neighbourly solidarity imposing strict sanctions on further exchanges of gardening hardware. I won't be disturbing the peaceful sleep of Lewisham's Noise Abatement Officer or calling in the rozzer's helicopters (who do keep us regularly awake at night as they circle).

So while I was annoyed at the lack of consideration of the neighbours I was also surprised at the vehemence of the proposed retaliation. I mean the police have rather more pressing issues to sort that do constitute a real risk to my life and well being. We do need to distinguish between an occasional nuisance or annoyance by people who don't share our social norms and those that intend actual harm.

A warning to Nigel - one note of Bartok however muted will get you a blast of the entire Marriage of Figaro ... and I won't be taking prisoners.

Stuart
Rachael
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Joined: 23 Jan 2010 13:42
Location: Sydenham / Forest Hill Intersection

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Rachael »

Eagle wrote:Rachael



If they all have only two events a year that is 100 disturbed days .
It was a wedding. Unless they are planning to get remarried every year, that two days total.
monkeyarms
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Joined: 28 Jul 2015 14:54
Location: Tredown

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by monkeyarms »

Nigel wrote:If a decide to have a Bartok festival in my garden next summer , would you blame my neighbours for not wishing hear to several , loudly amplified versions of his violin duos all afternoon
Do it!
But I suggest you hire Zanzibar for the occasion. That way you could call it "ZanziBartok Fest"
Nigel
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Location: Laurie Park

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Nigel »

I must admit I am surprised at the tolerance shown, nay demanded , in respect of people who chose and plan , in cold blood , to have industrial level amplified sound , in their garden with with maybe 150 dwellings within 100 yards and more still within earshot .
The reason for the event is almost immaterial e.g. wedding, because I was pissed and fancied playing loud music, because my great granny died and it was a wake etc etc

Stuart describes it very well - I would add that I have very high spec triple glazing and I could hear the music in every room of my house , particularly on the top floor where our bedroom is .

I take no comfort from the " its a wedding , hardly likely to be repeated " . i think the opposite , they had one family function there , why not the next and the next?

A slight rumble from a house party can be annoying but this was always going to impact on hundreds of people and it did . What possible justification can there be ? Why would anyone rent a wedding venue again if you can rent a marquee more cheaply , safe in the knowledge that you can now have festival-level sound from 4 pm until 11 on two consecutive days with no sense that anyone will complain ?

Despite my Bartok-based threats , I would not impose my tastes on my neighbours - not my near neighbours who are all lovely people but also not the people at the end of the road that I don't know . I do think a few posters got a bit caught in the moment - okay I loved " Monsoon Wedding " - but it was not set in suburban London .

To those awful people , next time I see a marquee heading into the house I will mobilise a group of angry villagers , the more sleepless and grumpy the better . To everyone else : cop a bit of Bartok at his most accessible - the first section of the duos for violin , best heard through a 1 kilowatt Allen and heath desk with Dynacord A115 speakers and 4 active stage monitors - effects optional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7uyaNGqJVg.
A very good evening
nigel
Eagle
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Location: F Hill

Re: Hideous racket in Lawrie park area

Post by Eagle »

Nigel

I to am amazed that some think this performance is acceptable.

It is not the wedding per se I think but the industrial scale noise ( I am wary of calling music )
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