Wednesday 1 February 2017

Noisy Sherlock Crew

With thanks to the Breton House chair ...
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The chair of Breton writes:

Environmental Health have received a number of complaints about early morning noise outside Exhibition Hall 2. It seems that, at very late notice, the hall was let out to a film company making a Sherlock Holmes film in either Shoreditch or Clerkenwell. The hall is being used by the cast and the letting is due to finish tomorrow.

Graz Kalenik, General Manager, Barbican Exhibition Centre, has been made aware there was supposed to be a restriction on loading and unloading before 7.00 am and we did not expect to be disturbed at 4.30 am, as this morning.

Graz explained that everyone had been asked to keep their noise down. Unfortunately, the sound of even normal conversation travels in the middle of the night and their had been no indication that residents would be disturbed.

Residents had already been disturbed in the early hours by power window washing at 1 Golden Lane on Saturday and Sunday and the Boris Bike van man at 01.40, also on Sunday. The noise from Exhibition Hall 2 on both Monday and Tuesday meant Graz got the brunt of the complaints.

If we are going to be disturbed before 7.00 am and the disturbance is essential, then we ought, at least, have advance notice.


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Written response from Graz (omitting parts directed to a specific individual):

Please accept my sincere apologies for the disturbance you have experienced from the recent activities in the Exhibition Halls.

Sony Pictures are filming “Holmes and Watson” in Clerkenwell Green this week and they have contracted Exhibition Hall 2 for catering, costumes and make-up for approx. 200 extras.

I had a number of meetings with the Sony Pictures team and found them very professional and used to working within residential areas so I was happy to take on this event in the knowledge that it would be professionally run and would not cause us any problems. Indeed, by Monday afternoon I was pleased not to have received any comments/complaints and I had assumed we did a good job.

At around 1.30pm yesterday (Tues 31 January) you informed me that you had been woken up at 4.30am by our activities. I had been on duty since 3.30am monitoring the get-in at all times and believed that we had ensured that all noise had been kept to an absolute minimum.

I made an assurance to you that we would make an extra effort this morning (Wednesday 1 Feb) and ensure that we keep the sound to an absolute minimum, once again stressing the importance to be mindful of the close proximity of residents.

Following our conversation, I made some further enquiries and discovered that yesterday morning, 3 security officers (recruited by the client) had talked loudly for about 10 minutes during their “hand-over” early in the morning. They have apologised and promised to either sit in the car or come inside the Hall during this morning “hand-over”. To further reduce risk of disturbance, we also arranged a small change to the route between the Car Park in Beech Street and Exhibition Hall 2 entrance and last night I made additional signage requesting staff and extras to be mindful of our residents and keep the noise down.

I’m sure you will be pleased to know that this morning was the last day of filming in Clerkenwell and tomorrow Exhibition Hall 2 will be used for break-down, which will start at 8.00am.

Once again, please accept my apologies for the disturbances that you experienced.

Kind regards,
Graz Kalenik

General Manager Ex Halls
Barbican

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The Breton House chair wrote back to Graz to accept the apology, say thanks for the detailed response and explain that an email response from Environmental Services referred to “similar complaints” being raised, suggesting more than one complaint

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