Noisy plant behind Cote restaurant in Beech Street

Here is a note from a City environmental health officer in response to questions put by the chair of the Barbican Association:

The query:

I believe that you have received some complaints from Ben Jonson House residents about the noise (and smells) from the plant that serves Cote restaurant and that vents into the delivery yard below Ben Jonson house in the delivery yard north of the building and off Whitecross Street.

I am now writing about another concern about the noise of this plant.  Residents have begun to speak to the London Film School (LFS) about its new development in the other half of Exhibition Hall 2. We are concerned that the LFS sound consultant will measure the “background noise / sound” in different locations at different times on different days. Doubtless the Planners and City Environmental Health will then order that new LFS sound must be at xx dB below the current levels.

But the problem is that the current levels include rather noisy plant from the back of Cote restaurant that can be clearly heard in the evenings and at weekends. Several of us have listened to it from Whitecross Street and from below Ben Jonson and Breton at about 8pm in the evenings and again on Sunday afternoons. It can quite distinctly be heard over the background noise of traffic.

We have two concerns
a) whether this plant actually meets the planning condition that its sound should be less than the background noise
b) given that it is noisy and therefore contributes to the background noise, the background noise level that the LFS plant is assessed by will be louder than it should be and that the LFS plant will also be louder than it should be.

We'd be very grateful if you could look into this.

The response:

Existing plant

It would seem that our team have received complaints of noise about the plant to the rear of Cote and the cinema. Our investigations have not revealed evidence that the noise amounts to a nuisance and therefore formal action would not be possible.  However, informal action has resulted in a reduction of the level of noise, and timers have also been fitted to some pieces of equipment to restrict the operating times.  

Proposed plant

Our team will liaise with our planning colleagues and/or the Barbican to try and avoid background noise creep from additional plant.  There is a unique set of circumstances and geography that will no doubt require a bespoke planning condition/requirement from the barbican as necessary.

Environmental Health Officer
Markets and Consumer Protection
Pollution Team
City of London
020 7332 1587

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk