Residents to finally get a break from the din from Dong
Yorkshire Post|May 2, 2014
People living on the East Coast can look forward to a good night’s sleep after an offshore wind farm developer agreed not to lay foundations for new turbines overnight Residents in Withernsea and further afield have been complaining bitterly about the “din from Dong” which began when the energy firm started laying piles for in February.
People living on the East Coast can look forward to a good night’s sleep after an offshore wind farm developer agreed not to lay foundations for new turbines overnight Residents in Withernsea and further afield have been complaining bitterly about the “din from Dong” which began when the energy firm started laying piles for in February.
People living on the East Coast can look forward to a good night’s sleep after an offshore wind farm developer agreed not to lay foundations for new turbines overnight.
Residents in Withernsea and further afield have been complaining bitterly about the “din from Dong” which began when the energy firm started laying piles for in February.
Initially they denied being the source of the loud hammering and vibration, but monitoring has now established that both have been at “nuisance level”.
Ward councillor Kevan Hough and his wife Win said they’d been woken up on at least 10 occasions - and the sound of piling registered around as high on monitoring equipment installed in their house as their alarm clock going off.
Decibel levels reached …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]People living on the East Coast can look forward to a good night’s sleep after an offshore wind farm developer agreed not to lay foundations for new turbines overnight.
Residents in Withernsea and further afield have been complaining bitterly about the “din from Dong” which began when the energy firm started laying piles for in February.
Initially they denied being the source of the loud hammering and vibration, but monitoring has now established that both have been at “nuisance level”.
Ward councillor Kevan Hough and his wife Win said they’d been woken up on at least 10 occasions - and the sound of piling registered around as high on monitoring equipment installed in their house as their alarm clock going off.
Decibel levels reached into the high 40s - above World Health Organisation guidelines for night noise.
Coun Hough said many people, including the elderly and unwell, had been frightened by the noise and vibration.
He said: “I think they have been disgraceful. If they’d taken it seriously they would have stopped at night when this was first raised - not now when they only have another 10 (monopiles) to go in.
“They have been confronted by the council with evidence and they have had to accept the fact they were causing inconvenience. East Riding Council is owed credit for their efforts. A small community fund would not go amiss by way of an apology.”
Edwin Wilson who lives in a sheltered complex just off the seafront, said: “Our sleep patterns were disrupted. I am ill and did not trust myself to drive in the mornings after I hadn’t been able to sleep. Dong’s drilling at night ruined our lives.”
East Riding Council has been given an undertaking that Dong will not pile between 11pm and 7am. Nigel Leighton, director of environment and neighbourhood services, said: “We could not be more pleased that an agreement has been reached that will suit everyone, in particular residents who have had their lives disrupted.
“It has been possible to bring an end to this matter because of the willingness of all of those involved to find a solution.”
Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart, who campaigned alongside residents, said he was delighted. The Marine Management Organisation is now looking at varying the company’s marine licence.