If you like music, please sign this petition.

[PatBlock]

This made my blood run cold. This lady has been banned from playing any musical instrument, at any time, in her own home.

Please sign her petition:
https://www.change.org/p/defend-the-...40847870935040

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[vmax]

I did but then they asked for a donation of £7 which would go towards other causes which I might not agree with so I didn't donate. Don't know then if my signature was added, if it wasn't then too bad, other fish to fry that's more important, ukraine war and all that's revolving around it.

[Mark187187]

Local Authorities don't serve noise abatement notices on a whim. They need to have evidence, such as noise readings from acoustic measuring devices, in person monitoring and noise diaries from local residents. There is a free appeals process against these notices, so Councils don't issue them if they wouldn't stack up before a magistrate. They are a last resort as they cost Environmental Health teams a lot of time and money. I'm guessing that this lady has been driving her neighbours crazy for a long time for things to get this far. Preumably she has exhausted the appeals process too, so there must have been enough evidence available for a magistrate to side with the council. I did read about this lady elsewhere, and it turns out she also did a lot of teaching in her flat at all times of the day, so the statement on change.org doesn’t really paint the full picture.

[PatBlock]

I did but then they asked for a donation of £7 which would go towards other causes which I might not agree with so I didn't donate. Don't know then if my signature was added, if it wasn't then too bad, other fish to fry that's more important, ukraine war and all that's revolving around it.

Yes it will have counted, thanks. It's a "local" issue which we may be able to influence, not sure what we can do practically re the Ukraine war.
Can you imagine what our lives would be like without all of the music born of home grown musicians? I guarantee your record collection would be pretty sparse. I know a lot of musicians, both amateur and professional and every single one of them practices/rehearses at home, where else are they going to go? Kill that and you kill music, dead. Personally, I find this quite shocking. We need to nip it in the bud.

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[PatBlock]

Local Authorities don't serve noise abatement notices on a whim. They need to have evidence, such as noise readings from acoustic measuring devices, in person monitoring and noise diaries from local residents. There is a free appeals process against these notices, so Councils don't issue them if they wouldn't stack up before a magistrate. They are a last resort as they cost Environmental Health teams a lot of time and money. I'm guessing that this lady has been driving her neighbours crazy for a long time for things to get this far. Preumably she has exhausted the appeals process too, so there must have been enough evidence available for a magistrate to side with the council. I did read about this lady elsewhere, and it turns out she also did a lot of teaching in her flat at all times of the day, so the statement on change.org doesn’t really paint the full picture.

Did you watch the video?

Of course she teaches from home, the vast majority of private music tuition takes place at someone's home. Again, imagine a world without all of the music that teaching has produced. Baby, bathwater.

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[Mark187187]

Did you watch the video?

Of course she teaches from home, the vast majority of private music tuition takes place at someone's home. Again, imagine a world without all of the music that teaching has produced. Baby, bathwater.

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My wife is a singing teacher. She wouldn't teach for hours on end without thinking about noise reduction because it would annoy the neighbours. We paid to get a room soundproofed in our old house, and in this house we converted and soundproofed the garage. Before that, she would have paid for studio time for teaching later in the evenings. It's no different from a carpenter not using power tools in the evening, or builders stopping work at a time when kids are likely to be in bed. It's common courtesy, and if you are being noisy enough to get a noise abatement notice, then you aren't being a good neighbour.

And, yes, I watched the video. I didn’t buy all of what was said, because a noise abatement notice wouldn't get issued or upheld if there was no evidence of a statutory noise nuisance. The council says they tried to resolve this amicably and served the notice as a last resort, which sounds more plausible than a notice being issued without there being any issues. I've worked in local government, and these notices don't get served without the go ahead from the council's legal team. They wouldn't be agreeing for any legal notices to be served without evidence.

[PatBlock]

My wife is a singing teacher. She wouldn't teach for hours on end without thinking about noise reduction because it would annoy the neighbours. We paid to get a room soundproofed in our old house, and in this house we converted and soundproofed the garage. Before that, she would have paid for studio time for teaching later in the evenings. It's no different from a carpenter not using power tools in the evening, or builders stopping work at a time when kids are likely to be in bed. It's common courtesy, and if you are being noisy enough to get a noise abatement notice, then you aren't being a good neighbour.

And, yes, I watched the video. I didn’t buy all of what was said, because a noise abatement notice wouldn't get issued or upheld if there was no evidence of a statutory noise nuisance. The council says they tried to resolve this amicably and served the notice as a last resort, which sounds more plausible than a notice being issued without there being any issues. I've worked in local government, and these notices don't get served without the go ahead from the council's legal team. They wouldn't be agreeing for any legal notices to be served without evidence.

Fair enough Mark, that's your take, and you could be right, but I think in this case they're being overzealous. Travesties of justice do occur, at all levels.

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[MrRottweiler]

I watched the video and lasted 42 seconds because it was being overdramatic. Everyone knows the rights of enforcement officers and how they can enter your home and seize property but that is a long process and requires the involvement of a judge so hardly something that can occur before lengthy communications have failed. The law doesn't discriminate on type of device being used to cause noise nuisance the fact is a nuisance has been reported and the council will have tried to resolve this with some compromise by both parties. It seems she was more interested in documenting the case because it involves musical instruments rather than working with the council and her neighbour to resolve it. The statement:

'Environmental Health officers (EHO) across the country have come to misinterpret the law on statutory nuisance'

should have evidence such as reference to other cases to support the issue being countrywide but I doubt this evidence exists. I was sympathetic to this woman at first but now think she could have avoided all of this by working with the council instead of locking horns with them and suggesting she is a special case and the law doesn't apply because it's her job and the noise is being generated by a musical instrument.

I don't agree with the petition because introducing exemptions would clearly cause an increase in noise from instruments like drum kits, electric guitars and most brass instruments. An entire orchestra rehersing in the conductor's double garage to save money on studio fees. I don't think she has actually even thought of that prospect. In the petition she refers to it as domestic music playing but in her case it's professional music teaching. I'm a musician and used to enjoy the feint sound of my neighbour's keyboard practice every Sunday morning but if your neighbour has a problem with noise you're creating the responsible course of action is to resolve it without the courts not use it to drive a misguided personal crusade. I doubt she would get much sympathy from Judge Judy.

[lakerkolya2]

The sound of this song is simply marvelous! It is permeated with deep emotions and bright melodies, creating an amazing atmosphere that hooks the heart from the first notes. Rhythm and timbre are woven in such harmony that it's hard to resist their power.