Noise from Day Care Centre

MHickman

My parents have lived in the same residential estate for 30+ years that backs directly on to a purpose built Day Care Centre for people with intellectual and physical disabilities that runs Monday-Friday as a five day service. The complex has a sequence of low rise buildings and recreational spaces like tennis courts, mini football pitches etc. The complex is surrounded on two sides by residential estates and on two sides by open green fields. The recreational spaces are on the side backing on to residential properties (where my parents live) and the buildings are on the side of the complex that backs on to open green fields. It was extended and renovated maybe 10 years ago and additional recreational spaces added at that point.

Recently the charity that runs the complex has started facilitating external groups using the recreational spaces on weekends so there's now football practice etc. that run much of Saturdays (and matches occasionally on Sundays) and the noise is loud and intrusive. The pitches are about 10 feet from the back wall of the garden so maybe 25-30 feet total from the back of the house itself. When I say loud I mean loud!

Is there anything that can be done here? I appreciate what the charity is trying to do in either generating income or just being kind and allowing local sports clubs to use it but it backs very closely on to a large residential estate and the noise is intense.

dennyk

I assume the day care has been there for quite some time and it and the recent expansions were built with all the required planning permissions, etc.? If so, I can't see that there's going to be much you can do at this point. Unless they're violating some sort of local ordinance by operating on the weekends (which seems unlikely), they aren't doing anything wrong. About the only solution I could think of is seeing if your neighbours might be willing to pool some funds to build a large sound-deadening wall behind your gardens, assuming it would even be possible to get planning permission for such a thing.

the_syco

Was there any agreement that the facility would only be Monday to Friday when it first opened?

MHickman

It's been there 30+ years and has always operated Monday-Friday only and the charity describes it on its website as a Monday-Friday day service. As for an actual agreement about that...I have no idea. It actually used to be completely locked up and patrolled by security at weekends for as long as I can remember up until fairly recently when the sports practices for children started. It's an adult day service so even the Monday-Friday sports activities would have been fairly reserved. I'm no old crank but the screeching and roaring is very loud and goes on for hours on Saturdays....much closer to houses than any other local sports fields I can think of.

Would the hours of operation have formed any part of the planning permissions granted? Where might I find those to look at?

jimmycrackcorm

OP, on what grounds do you imagine that the facilities can be used weekdays but not at the weekend?

ted1

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

OP, on what grounds do you imagine that the facilities can be used weekdays but not at the weekend?

Planning permission may stipulate it

jimmycrackcorm

ted1 wrote: »

Planning permission may stipulate it

Weekday only restrictions for recreational facilities? That'll be a new one...

1641

Have your parents tried approaching the management of the Centre to explain to them the amount of noise at the weekends and how it is disturbing them ? Better still if it could be a delegation of local residents. These centres are usually very keen to have positive local relationships.

Teyla Emmagan

You can look up the existing PP online OP. Or call DCC's planning office and ask them to help you find it (if you're in DCC). Newer PPs would usually state when the facility can be used.

A letter from the local res assoc may be a start, or they may know what to do next.

Or get your parents to contact a local councillor. Given it has only ever operated M-F you should gave reasonable expectation that it should only operate M-F. It sounds like an absolute PITA, that would drive me mental.

tuisginideach

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Weekday only restrictions for recreational facilities? That'll be a new one...

A recently-built all-weather football pitch near me is not allowed to operate on a Sunday - planning permission stipulation

Ms Doubtfire1

Go to the council and complain about the noise factor but read this first to see if you fall under it

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/environmental_protection/noise_regulations.html

MHickman

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

OP, on what grounds do you imagine that the facilities can be used weekdays but not at the weekend?

I didn't say that they couldn't but using it as a sports facility for small children on weekends when it's a purpose built adult day care centre that has always operated Monday-Friday would be a marked departure from what it had always been and what the residents of the adjoining estates understood it to be when they decided to move there. The pitches were only added a few years ago, incidental to its function as a day care facility for adults (i.e. it's a day care centre with a couple of small sports pitches, not a sports complex) The kids sports activities are a very recent change - the pitches had been in situ for a number of years and used only Monday-Friday.

The residents association is going to discuss it and hopefully have a chat with the operators to see if anything can be done. I posted here on Boards to see if anyone had had a similar experience and how it had worked out for them.

The charity would usually have good relations with the estate - they've bought up a couple of houses that they use as independent living houses for the people who use the centre and all the local residents get on well with them. I would have thought they would have given the residents a heads up about their plans to open up the centre for use on weekends but apparently not.