Tuesday 9 January 2018

Wembley ASDA served with Noise Abatement Notice after waking residents at 6am



Video filmed before dawn this morning

Angry residents contacted Wembley Matters this morning after they were woken at 6am by works on Wembley Asda's car park. The noise, accompanied by shouting, could be heard through double glazing. 

There have been long term problems with noise from Asda disturbing neighbours including the company's home delivery service, Click and Collect and sea gulls on the store roof.  The issue has been taken up through Brent Council, petitions presented, letters written but to no avail.

Cllr Michael Pavey (Labour, Barnhill) told Wembley Matters:
Asda have treated residents with complete disdain. Not only have they failed to reduce the noise they generate at antisocial times - they have refused to even acknowledge the problem. 

They have ignored correspondence, failed to attend meetings organised by Council Officers and have stated that they will only meet with councillors if residents are not invited. 

It is an astonishing display of arrogance by a company which is completely dependent upon the goodwill of its shoppers.
 As a result of this morning's complaints Brent Council have served a Noise Abatement Notice on Asda..

Martin Wood, Emvironmental Health Office wrote to residents this evening with the news:
Further to the noise incident this morning, I have spoken to Asda’s store manager, deputy manager, and to the company’s Compliance Incident Manager.

I have advised that Brent Council will be serving Asda Group Ltd with a Noise Abatement Notice on the basis that we believe there is a likelihood of a statutory noise nuisance arising from non-emergency maintenance works taking place at noise sensitive times.

The notice will be posted to Asda’s head office tomorrow. The notice prohibits the occurrence of a noise nuisance from non-emergency maintenance works and requires Asda to: Cease or cause to cease all non-emergency external store and car park maintenance works likely to constitute a nuisance to the occupiers of residential properties in close proximity to the store between, 9pm and 8am (Monday to Saturday) and 5pm and 10am (Sundays).

4 comments:

Sandro said...

Around the 30th/31st December I went to Asda at around 6.30am & it appeared that they were repainting the white lines in the car park. To get the paint to dry quickly ready for cars to come in during the course of the day they seemed to be blasting the tarmac with a large industrial blow torch of sort which was making the most horrendous voice to the point that when people including myself were passing there we all had to stick our fingers in our ears! Needless to say that the people who were working in the car park were all wearing ear protectors but the noise was immense so I can certainly testify to the above article as it's not the first time Asda have done this & I completely understand people living close by complaining. Let's just hope Asda management take note of the local residents justified complaints this time round!

Trevor said...

I was quite frankly surprised to find out that Asda has been served a noise abatement notice but I think it was deserved because they failed to act after complaints were made by residents who live nearby.
I hope that the bad publicity will move Asda to change it's attitude and not test the patience of local residents anymore.

Trevor said...

I want to add to my previous comment that I think that the owner of the estate (Metropolitan housing trust)ought to held to account for providing flats with double glazing that are obviously inefficient.
By all means correct me if I am wrong,
But isn't double glazing supposed to block out noise?
I live in a MHT owned flat and I can confirm that I am regularly disturbed by noise( much of which is what is generally described as house hold)because this estate is lacking acoustic material.
That then makes it almost impossible to enjoy a measure of peace in my flat because just about every household sound from running taps to slamming doors to chairs being dragged across vinyl floors can be heard no matter where I happen to be in my flat.
I have lived in my flat since 2001 and to this very day I feel frustrated because I cannot have peace because the estate owner obviously chose to 'cut corners' to reduce financial pressure on itself.
But that then puts me as a tenant in a tormenting situation where I have the basics in terms of bedroom and kitchen but no peace.
This is unfair and I say that it is this 'penny pinching policy' which undoubtedly originates from a long succession of miserly chancellors and MP's who work together to ensure that social housing is never quite good enough.
I blame the previous Labour government who introduced the so called 'decent homes programme' which despite being a noble initiative
failed because it wasn't funded properly.
The much despised austerity programme undoubtedly made a bad situation worse because cuts to council funding naturally means that either less social housing is built and the quality of the homes will be poor.
That is the norm in Brent and has arguably been the case since the start of the 20th century.
No matter how MP's try to deny it,
they all know that they have failed to ensure that adequate funding is reserved for the building of homes of an acceptable standard for working class people.
That is why this tormenting situation has arisen for the tenants alongside Asda supermarket.
It was in fact inevitable simply because of the penny pinching policies of the British government and I think that things will get worse because we all know that Brent council has effectively given up the fight and merely points the finger of blame at the current government.
I acknowledge that austerity is making a bad situation worse
but I also note that the Labour government failed to give us in Brent the hope that we long for.
How much longer do we have to put up with 2nd best in terms of housing and public services before someone says enough is enough?


Wembley Residents said...

Thank you Trevor only just seen your response
Sorry to hear you're suffering too.
I agree it is a combination of the negligence of both Asda stores and MHT that I find myself typing at 1.45am having been woken up by screeching car tyres as the car park is being used as a F1 racetrack, despite this ongoing dangerous driving being repeatedly reported for months.

It would be good to know what MHT leaseholders can do regarding the sub standard double glazing