Over the past five years I have stayed from time to time with my brother who lives in Marlborough Drive, Worle, which is immediately adjacent to Sainsbury's store. I have been appalled at the lack of consideration shown by the Manager of the store for the nearby residents. The noise which is created by the deliveries which currently take place has to be heard to be believed. The noises include that created by lorries, arriving long before 5.00 am and standing with their engines running; by the wheels of the roll-cages across the concrete; the banging of the tail-gates of the lorries dropping onto the loading bay and the bleeping of the emptied lorries as they reverse off the loading bay.
I have kept up-to-date with the situation through the Council website and through my brother and can only say that if Sainsbury's bosses think that North Somerset Councillors are "overzealous" in protecting residents from this invasion of their privacy and deprivation of their sleep then what, I wonder, do they think the Councillors are there for?
If Sainsbury's were to spend less of their profits on sending in application after application for extending their delivery hours and appeal after appeal and spend it instead on putting in the measures the residents have suggested in order to alleviate the problem then there would be no need for complaints. Suggestions that sound-absorbing material is used to curtain off the delivery area and to surface the loading bay to deaden the sound of tail-boards dropping have been met with complete indifference from Sainsbury's. A very ramshackle wooden fence was erected on top of an existing fence, but this has not at all mitigated the noise nuisance. All the residents are asking for is a reasonable degree of peace and quiet and a reasonable attitude on the part of Sainsbury's bosses.
Copyright © 2005 Archant Regional. All rights reserved. Terms and conditions