Help with council & road noise complaint

[MadDuck]

Wondering if the brains trust of KB may be able to help…..

In October last year the then Rodney District Council removed a number of houses at the back of my property. We were not notified this was going to happen and it appears naughty that they did this 2 weeks before the Super City came into effect. These houses were bought as designated for removal due to a proposal to widen the main road back in early 2000s with resource consents running out this month (Feb 2011).

The effect has been that the traffic noise coming from the road has suddenly come in to our homes. They were effectively acting as a sound barrier from the main road noise. It may be just the way the road is aligned and the lay of the land but it sounds like we are now sitting/sleeping on the main road.
I have complained to the new Auckland Council (once or twice…ok ok … 3 or 4 times) as has my neighbour and they are saying “Tough”. The road hasn’t changed, the road was always there and they have simply removed the houses as per the District Plan 2000. As part of the resource consent to widen the road there is noise mitigation provisions for the houses on this main road but not our street. The road widening is set for 5 to 10 years time.

The council website noise control section says that “road” noise is outside the council jurisdiction. I have been to the NZTA website but I am guessing that is a waste of good energy.

Sooooooo……what now? Is it worth taking it to the Ombudsman (I have been to the complaints team) or are we just stuck with it? Are there any KBers working in areas of council that may be able to point me in the right direction of what to do next? Who in Council to contact? How to prepare a case? The new Auckland Council website is less than friendly to navigate and their staff less than friendly on the phone.
Thanks in advance for any help.

PS: During the last cyclone on Anniversary weekend one of these properties at the back let go and ended up mid calf deep dirt in my neighbours basement. The council cleaned the house pretty damn quick but the source of the slip has not been touched some 3 weeks later.

[Banditbandit]

Wondering if the brains trust of KB may be able to help…..



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

You read the funniest things on KB ...

[Mully]

Build a fence

Plant some trees

Get used to it (it's only loud cos it's never been there before. Once you're used to it, it'll be fine).

What were you planning on complaining about, precisely?

[SMOKEU]

Ask the council to fork out for some trees to be planted by the road. A big wall of pine trees or something similar should reduce the noise.

Your other option is double glazed windows if you don't have them already. They work wonders for noise reduction but come at a very steep price.

[Flip]

I don't believe I wasted my time reading this.

[MadDuck]

I don't believe I wasted my time reading this.

I dont believe you wasted your time responding

[red mermaid]

Plant some trees, some sort of variety like they use in orchards, Pittosporum etc so they get nice and thick and block as much noise as possible, plus they are natives.

[Latte]

Paint your house pink, and put up a big sign saying len's a wanker. They should have a big wall and some trees shifted on site in no time :D

[MadDuck]

Paint your house pink, and put up a big sign saying len's a wanker. They should have a big wall and some trees shifted on site in no time :D

Now thats a bloody plan worth considering. Anyone know where I can get some pink paint from :innocent:

I kind of answered my own question when I blurted this out having just got off the phone with council. Just have to suck it up. Now wheres that waving thread?

[Fatt Max]

Ok, I know a bit about this so listen up....

Mate, you are stuck with it I'm afraid. The consultation process (hate that fkn word) is over and by all accounts, everything they did is within the law.

Saying that, you can make a submission through the environmental court based on noise pollution (and possibly 'quiet enjoyment', but that is more of a renters term).

A submission will cost a shed load of money, you will need expert witnesses, environmental lawyers, the whole bit. You will probably be fighting this for years with no guarantee of a win, we are talking tens of thousands of bucks.

So your only other option is to see if council will grant you permission to erect a fence or plant trees or whatever. Again, there is a cost and a process (that 'kin word again) involved. You can talk to the local papers anbd have a bitch at them, they may run the story and you could get some support but reality tells me that you are stuffed.

There is the option of it causing you medical problems (lack of sleep, fatigue etc etc) but they will refer you to ACC for loss of earnings or whatever and basically fob you the fuck off.

You could find out where the office of the person who is responsible for this is located and spend the rest of your life revving the fuck out of that greatr bike of yours right outside hsi window. Or, for 3 simple payments of $45.90 + GST, I will go round there in a pink G string and sit on his face.

Sorry to be MR G Reaper but I reckon thats where you are at mate

Have a pie, fink about it....

[MadDuck]

Or, for 3 simple payments of $45.90 + GST, I will go round there in a pink G string and sit on his face.

I will pay that ...no problem...camera at the ready.... :woohoo:

Cheers mate. I knew it really but had got off the phone all worked up and just needed a bit of a bleat.....as you were.

[Wannabiker]

Investigate the retro-fit doubleglazing. Cheaper than true double glazing. My son was installing it for a while, mainly in central wellington for noise-proofing apartments and also in residential homes near busy roadways. Works very well as sound barrier...as well as the other benefits of double glazin (condensation, insulation). It was available with the govt subsidy / scheme for insulating houses too....

[phill-k]

Trees lots of trees, make sure you get good advice on variety from a nursery or landscaper, if you can plant both quick growing as well as long term slow growing, you can then have a quick growing screen and then thin those out as the more permanent ones come into there own, a positive from the negative.

[marty]

plant gorse on the council section. that grows real fast. buy some 40' containers and put them between you and the road. hire them out as storage boxes.

[Deano]

I don't believe that you have any recourse under the RMA - I've been to a hearing where an identical issue was raised and it was considered not relevant as the noise was coming from a third party and the owner of the site had no obligation to try and return the amenity back to how it was.

Trees will do little to reduce noise unless there are a lot of them. However, they may 'soften' the noise slightly and the visual barrier may help to make you think that the noise is less, simply cause you can't see the source.