Islington Tribune - News: Michael Church

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 22 August 2008

Michael Church

Music critic’s compensation bid as noise drowns out classics

A LEADING classical music critic has been forced to fit double-glazing to his Angel home because of noise from a building site.
Michael Church, who writes for the Independent newspaper, spent £500 on a new double-glazed window for his home office when the sound of hammering became “unbearable”.
He is submitting the bill for the work to developers on the grounds that he feels it is reasonable compensation for having to put up with the noise.
Mr Church’s home in Chadwell Street, where he has lived for 40 years, is less than 40 metres from the site of the former BT headquarters, which is being renovated.
“We used to have to put up with a low hum from a generator at the building when it belonged to BT,” he said. “When they finally moved out we had a couple of years of peace.”
Work on the building began in June and is expected to last at least 18 months.
“Before I had the double-glazing installed the noise was pretty constant,” Mr Church said. “Lots of clanking and banging. On dry days you’d get dust. It was the noise of a major building site.
“About two weeks ago I was finding working very hard. My job is to listen to and then write about classical music. It was just becoming impossible.”
He added that it was a well-ordered development. “I’m not blaming them for the noise,” Mr Church said. “It is something you can’t avoid. But I do believe that if nearby neighbours like myself are adversely affected then we are justified in seeking compensation.”
A spokeswoman for Islington Council said that there was no statutory basis for people being able to claim costs for double-glazing but residents could pursue it with developers.

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