Resident breaks down in tears over noise of supermarket refrigeration units

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

A resident broke down in tears at a planning committee meeting while explaining the impact of ‘industrial-scale’ noise from Aldi refrigeration units near her home.

Judith Richards’ home is adjacent to the Aldi store at Broughton Shopping Park in Flintshire which has just submitted a retrospective planning application to replace its ageing refrigeration system.

The external hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant systems that run the store’s freezers are currently being replaced with eco-friendly carbon dioxide refrigerant units.

Those external mechanisms however are situated just feet from the nearest residential homes.

Mrs Richards’ told Flintshire County Council’s Planning Committee the noise they generate is causing distress for residents.

“We are here to consider another retrospective planning application by Aldi after they failed to consult with neighbouring residents or obtain planning consent prior to starting works to replace refrigeration units,” she said.

“In 2018 retrospective planning consent was given after the store was built 20 feet closer to residential properties than agreed. Despite the store’s new proximity to housing, Flintshire County Council failed to add enhanced soundproofing conditions to the consent.

“That decision has had a serious and ongoing impact. The constant noise coming from the refrigeration units affects residents – throughout the day when fridge and freezer doors are being constantly opened and into the early hours of the morning when restocking is taking place.

“This is causing distress, disruption and impacts on quality of life and home environment. Yet despite repeated attempts by neighbours to resolve the matter with Aldi, there’s been little meaningful engagement and no resolution.

“The site visit into this application was held at 10am when the store opens and did not accurately reflect the true level of noise experienced by residents.

“That is the quietest period as the fridge and freezer doors have not been opened. We all know our home fridges become noisy when the unit needs cooling down, imagine this on an industrial scale.”

Recording 

Mrs Richards then played a recording she had taken of the noise before breaking down in tears.

“We ask that the following conditions were imposed to genuinely protect local residents,” she said. “An acoustic fence several feet higher than the current or proposed fencing installed around all sides of the refrigeration unit, that the existing screened bunds of deciduous trees be properly enhanced with evergreen trees to provide year-round screening and a legally enforceable maintenance agreement to the bund is put in place.

“We are simply asking Flintshire County Council to take measures to ensure that Aldi acts responsibly, gives local residents a point of contact and take reasonable steps to reduce the impact this store is having on the people who live in close proximity to it.”

James Borley, the agent representing Aldi, said that the company had engaged with the community over the plans.

“Careful consideration has been given throughout the design process to protect residential amenity,” he said. “Aldi has sought to respond positively and responsibly throughout this process by working with Flintshire County Council officers and neighbours and have proposed additional mitigation where appropriate.

“This has included providing three additional acoustic timber fences to border the two plant areas to further reduce noise levels at the nearest residential properties on Simonstone Road and Vickers Way.

“The new replacement plant proposed will be quieter, more environmentally friendly and more efficient. The predicted noise levels will be 10 decibels below background levels in the day and will not exceed the background noise levels at night. Furthermore, there have been no objections from Pollution Control who conclude that the proposals will have no adverse impact on the nearest receptors.

“This represents a clear overall betterment to the site and residential amenity will not be adversely impacted.”

Acoustic fencing 

As Planning Committee members debated the application Cllr Paul Johnson suggested going further with the acoustic fencing.

“When I’ve driven through parts of the Netherlands, you find on either side of the motorways an acoustic fence, but the top it is curved round. Will these fences have some measure by which the noise can be reflected back down?”

Cllr Gladys Healy supported Mrs Richards’ view.

“I find this they are not appropriate for a residential area with that noise,” she said. “If it was me there I would go mad.”

Councillors eventually voted in favour of the proposals – adding a condition that the best, effective British standard acoustic fencing be installed around the plant to be situated to the south and the western side of the store and that plans for that fencing would come back to council for approval before it is installed.”