Incomers who move into the countryside and complain about the noise of church bells and cricket matches have been told: Stop moaning about the sound of village life.
That is the effect of a ruling by a judge in the High Court after a woman grumbled about disturbance from a pub beer garden when she moved into the house next door. The judgement has today been welcomed by Selby Martin.
Mr Martin is vice-president of Shropshire Council to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
He said: “The tranquillity of the countryside is paramount, but you have to accept long-standing noises – whether from a pub, church bells or cricket pitch – are part of the audio scenery.”
It follows a High Court defeat for St Albans District Council in Hertfordshire, which had supported a complaint from Jane Lockley, who was upset she could hear drinkers chatting in the beer garden of the adjoining Moloko pub.
The case originally went before magistrates who were satisfied there was a noise nuisance.
However, taking into account she had known about the pub when she moved in, and following efforts by the publican to reduce that nuisance, they dismissed the case against pub owner Jass Patel.
Upholding that decision in the High Court, Mr Justice Forbes dismissed an appeal by the council.
Mr Martin said: “People who buy property anywhere, whether in town or country, should find out before they decide to purchase just what noises there are in the vicinity.
“For example, if you buy a property in St John’s Hill, Shrewsbury, you should be aware there is a church next door and the bells will ring.
“The same principle applies if you move next door to a pub.”
Mr Martin said people might have a stronger case if they moved into a cottage in the country and their neighbour suddenly decided to change activities, for example, by starting a pig or chicken farm.
“A particular issue at this time is when people move into the countryside and find a windfarm is to be built nearby,” he said.
Mr Martin said another thorny topic was disturbance in the south Shropshire area of outstanding natural beauty from RAF helicopters on practice flights.
“When people are training to help others, it is difficult to say they should not do it,” he said.
Mr Martin said a distinction had to be made between permanent and temporary disturbance.
He said: “For example, I live near the site of the former Radbrook Hall Hotel in Shrewsbury which is being turned into homes.
“We get the dreadful bleeping of lorries reversing all day long but we accept this because the work will be finished in a few months.”
He added: “You even get people complaining about the noise of cocks crowing in the morning but you will never stop that.”
48 Comments
I myself have heard townies who move into the countryside moaning that the birds are singing to loudly at 5am in the morning or complaining about the smell of fertilizer
Madness
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This is a sensible ruling. People who complain about noises or disturbances that were already there, or are likely to occur, before they moved in to their property should learn to put up with it. In particular I’m thinking of town centres. Pubs *will* have live music. There *will* be noise as people leave late at night. You should have thought about that before you decided you’d like a town centre pad. However, up until now, one complaint from a disgruntled resident would normally mean a stiffly worded letter to the landlord from the local council.
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Excellent news. Some common sense at last. I’ve heard of people trying to sue farmers for mud on the road and for cockerels crowing.
People whining about church bells or pub noise? What do they expect when you buy a house next door!
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how can people complain about noise from a cricket match? it is possibly the quietest sport in the world, apart from chess and possibly fishing.
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Oh ok, we shall turn all the noises off for you then. Sorry for the inconvenience. Or shall we build motorways through past the houses so it sounds more like the innercity. Or what-about getting kids to hang out and cause trouble?
If they don’t like the ’sounds’ of the country then they shouldn’t have move there.
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In Coalbrookdale incomers have tried to close the Dale works in the past (that’s where you don’t see the factory now just lvoely straight lines of trees!)- they knew what was there when they bought the places.
People need to re-learn to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for the OWN decisions. oh, and get a life and quite meddling in others lives.
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i do not like the sheep in the fields making a noise also the pigs smell.
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Yes and stop moaning when you find that you live on a busy road…if you don’t want traffic going past your house, try buying in a cul de sac next time!
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The tranquility of the countryside or constant vehicle noise and police sirens? Um tough decision but as a Salopian I think that sound of church bells, country pursuits and farm animals are lovely.
Townies can stay were they are and leave the rural dwellers alone.
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I lived in a well known city for many years and quite frankly, I much prefer the sounds of church bells, farming machinery and the country smell when muck spreading. I’d rather have that than music from neighbours, congestion, smog etc.
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I like the bumper sticker
IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT GO AWAY (BACK)
Often seen in Australia
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My Mum’s village has been runined by people moving in and moaning. The local farmer was asked to do something about the smell or face court! He did nothing and the stupid newbie gave up.
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I have moved into the countryside recently for a more quiet life. I have noisy birds morning noon and night, church bells, church clock chiming, tractors, combine harvesters, cows and sheep. I LOVE IT……Wouldn’t give it up for anything.
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The countryside is too green for my liking my favourite colour is blue and I want the farmers to paint everything blue. I come from london and am in charge of you small and un-important oiks - so get on with it !!!!!
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At last the courts are seeing sense, it took them long enough!!! If you don’t like the noise move back to where you came from!
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What do people expect in the country?
Hooray for a sensible Judge!!!!
Boo Hoo for the idiot incomers
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why on earth did they move into the country anyway. half a dozen cockerells and a bell ringers outing normally sorts out the townies
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yes and i would like to complain about the rubbish comments here
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davey boy I think you will find that you are the unimportant oik in this instance. People who hail from or live in London are all self. No one speaks to each other in the street they just walk along like robots to and from wherever. At least us country folk stop for chats and make conversation with strangers.
Go back to where you came from oik.
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some people have far too much time on their hands if they have time to complain about stuff like this, i love living in the countryside with the sound of tractors, the farm smells, horses, and farm animals, muddly puddles etc, its great! typical townies trying to ruin the countryside when they have nothing to do with it!
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The old saying while in Rome comes to mind! I live on the outskirts of Shrewsbury and the Farmers muck spreading days are the only temporary bother!
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I live in the country, only two houses and a farm by my house, noise from the farm at 4-5am, tractors flying past the house, the smell in the air be that pleasant or not, gun shots, and the noise from farm animals and birds….I love it.
It’s never a persistant noise, and like living next to a train track, after a while you forget it’s there…
My point, is everything i mentioned above is the joys of the country side, fair play to the judge!
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Well done that judge!
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Repatriation back to Birmingham..NOW!
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Bob
I dont see that farmers spreading mud on the roads is the same at all. As far as I am aware, they are legally required to place adequate signage before they do so, and to organise for it to be cleared afterwards.
To unexpectedly come round a bend and find oneself sliding on mud spread across the road would surely be highly dangerous, and should not be tollerated.
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its about time townies stayed in the towns and stop comming into the countryside telling us how to live, the country life is changing much to fast and not for the better and its all because to many townies move to the countryside and because they think its all sweet smelling daisys and get a shock when the farmer spreads muck on the feilds and its smells, they dont have the same idea of country living as those who have lived all their life in the country. country life is great, from the smelly muck in the feilds to the cows mooing the cockrell crowing etc i love it its better than concrete and hustle and bustle of town life, the smell of cow muck is better than the smell of the town any day.
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BTW the birds around here (Brookside, Telford) sing all night as the lights have confused them
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Agree with this judgement in part. Shawbury is a different matter and if you experiebec helicopters at just above roof level ,then you would agree they need to alternate their routes etc. The comment about mud on the roads left by farmers .Its common sense that you cant cause a danger to traffic by dumpin large amounts of mud on the roads and not using the tractors to regularly sweep it off.
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noise is noise, but of course in the towns it is worse, i think the worst thing about labour is that they dont understand the countryside, so they have made people in the cities richer at our expense, when dave c is PM, we will get more tax breaks for the farmers and country dwellers, council tax is a classic example where people in the big slums pay less - why should i pay more just because i live in the countryside?
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Whilst I agree that people should be tolerant of noise and inconvenience that has always been there, some of the comments here stink of the worst kind of rural parochialism.
It seems that some people here think that they have the right to tell people where they can and cannot move to and look down their noses at those who haven’t had 7 generations of their family living in the same house.
When was the last time anybody heard of a town dweller telling “incomers” from the countryside that they have no right to live in their town or city if they had the temerity to voice an opinion about life there.
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Tory Boy: Excellent point about Council Tax. My fathers only income is benefits.
When he brought hos cottage in the country 50years ago its was derelict and worthless and “city living” was the thing. He rebuilt it with his own hands and now all the city folk come out here inflating house prices and my father has the option of paying “Millionaire” rate Council Tax or selling his lifes dream and moving to the slums of Telford.
Its just so hypercriical that people go on about idigenous Amazon indians being forced from their homes when this is just what the government is doing to indigenous rural folk.
To be frank, those Taffys sorted out the holiday home property problem, it will happen this side of the Dyke if the rural minority are continued to be persecuted by the urban majority.
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i agree David. Theres a sign near by saying “Mud on road, you have been warned!” cheeky farmers! its been there a few weeks now, signs not visable at night. they should have cleared it up sooner
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MJ: Thing is, when rural folk move to town they dont start driving cattle down the high street - they intergrate.
Sam: Try switching your lights on at night.
I’ve lived in citys and there is litter, vermin, vomit and urine in the streets. Drugs and vice on every corner - but do I make a fuss? No I choose to live there and was glad to leave for the “smelly and noisy” countryside.
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send them back i saY, all foreigners and townies, should go home now in my view
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And Conservatives and male children ?
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So Lucy W, you expect me to feel sorry for your father just because he has seen the value of his assets rocket due to investment in the area by outsiders?
If he’s really that hard up, he could always sell and rent back, thereby cashing in on the fortune which has been created for him by those damn incomers coming here and inflating the value of his property while still living there. He might not get the full market price but if he bought 50 years ago he’ll still have a huge profit which is not subject to Capital Gains Tax unlike most other investments.
Nobody is ‘persecuting the rural minority’, people have a choice of where to live and you have no right to choose your neighbours any more than an urban dweller does. For every “incomer” buying up a property in the countryside at inflated prices there is a rural seller pocketing a very tidy sum. The poor rural folk could easily decide to only sell to their own kind if they dislike townies so much but I guess they want to profit from the inflated prices.
Stupidly high house prices are a problem in this country but that applies everywhere, town and country, why should rural people be treated as if they are special, we all pays our money and takes our choice in this life.
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Lucy W, I’m aware that rural folk don’t generally drive cattle down city streets (maybe you think that townie inventions such as the car should be banned from the countryside in equal measure).
If you chose to live in a city and then not involve yourself in local life to make the area a better place then that’s your choice but you would have been perfectly entitled to complain about the litter and vermin had you chosen to do so. Everybody has a right to attempt to improve their local community and voice their opinion on life there by virtue of living there. This is our right as citizens who are equal.
You do not gain extra rights for being born in a place or being able to trace back your ancestors for 12 generations in the same parish. Nor should you in my opinion as that way lies oligarchical tryanny and the death of democracy (if it was ever truly alive in the first place)
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MJ: Dont want anyone to feel sorry. But father does not want to sell because he hopes that his children and grandchildren will be able enjoy the family home as much as he does. So he will suffer the burden of “millionaire” council tax as his sacrifice to future generations.
But why should he have to pay twice as much council tax when his only income is benefits and some pin money he makes from selling produce, as an urban dweller with high disposable income, recieving the same services? Where’s the justice in that?
And my cattle driving refernce was the fact that when townies move to the country that get the twonie council to mow all the grass verges destroying wild flower and wildlife habitat spoiling the natural beauty of the countryside while they let poisonous plants such as ragwort flourish and cause a nuisance to their neighbours when they have a legal duty to control it.
But do us rural folk march off to court like muppet in this article did?
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Maybe those future generations should chip in to help him with his council tax then
He might not be rich in terms of income but if he’s paying top whack council tax then he is rich in assets.
Would it be any fairer if somebody just starting out in life with a good job that they have studied hard to get but with not a bean in the bank yet, no home of their own or one with a huge mortgage to pay and no inheritance from mummy and daddy to rely on was made to pay a fortune while the man sitting in a million pound, mortgage free house paid much less?
Personally I think that a local income tax might be fairer but then low income rural areas would have to tax people at a higher rate than higher income areas to get the same amount of money in. Either that or manage to get a bigger subsidy from central government.
Seriously though, you are making huge sweeping generalisations, ‘townies’ are not one amorphous mass, they are individuals with individual opinions, characters, interests etc. You seem to want to tar them all with the same brush. It would be as bad as if somebody said that all country folk were inbred, illiterate xenophobic yokels with a deep mistrust of outsiders who chew straw all day by the farm gate. A few are but many country folk are not like that at all.
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MJ if you love city life so much then why move to the countryside if there are things that that you don’t like about it and want to change? Would you move to another country and expect them to speak english just because you can’t be bothered to learn the language?
Find somehwere that you are happy with and move there and heaven help the locals where you move to.
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MJ,
OR you could just move back to your lovely city life.
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I think MJ is in the wrong place… They certainly aren’t the kind of person I’d want in my village! Typical views of an outsider; opinionated, politically correct, whinging metropolitan Guadrian reading idiot!
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BRIAN(2)
Really there’s no need to be so intolerant, are you suggesting that nobody should have the right to voice an opinion or suggest ideas for improvements to their neighbourhood unless they were born there? That’s quite ridiculous, it really is.
For your information, I don’t live in the countryside, I live in a town. I’m perfectly happy with that as I generally prefer people to cows although the countryside is nice to visit every now and then. I wasn’t born in this town but thankfully so far nobody has told me to shut up if i’ve put tried to put forward ways of making improvements. By the sound of it, I wouldn’t be afforded the same courtesy if I lived in a rural area, maybe townsfolk are just more polite.
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MJ,
I too live in a Town, Dawley and I am fed up with the way that it’s shaping over the last few years and the main reason for that is people from “outside ” who think they know best, but in reality don’t have a clue.
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MJ: By comment #39 it is obvious that you do not understand that rural people care about their way of life and want to preserve it. Is that too much to ask?
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MJ: Town folk aren’t more polite. They never say hello to a stranger when they pass in the street. When I go walking, you can always spot the townie because they just stare at the floor rather than giving a cheery hello. Fair enough, you might get stabbed in the town saying hello to a stranger in a town, but in the beautiful countryside there’s no excuse for bad manners. Its just ignorance of country people and country ways. Thats why fox-hunting was banned - IGNORANCE of the urban majority!!
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MJ, you say that you are living in a town but have put forward your ideas to “improve ” it.
What might have those ideas been, may I ask?
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It looks like MJ’s had his moan and now moved on!
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