Styles and Wood Ltd were fined £5000 last Thursday at Cardiff Magistrates Court for two charges under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 working at the Lidl site on Cowbridge Road West.
This prosecution was as a result of ongoing complaints since September 23 2013, when the company were operating, creating building noise and receiving deliveries outside the permitted hours.
Following complaints received the Council placed a legal notice on the firm reiterating that they were only allowed to operate between 8 am till 6 pm Monday to Friday, from 8 am till 1pm on Saturdays and that no noisy activities were to be carried out on a Sunday or bank holidays. Despite this on Friday November 23 the company worked all night and in to the early hours of Saturday morning.
Cllr Derbyshire, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “The Council explored all the possibilities to come to an amicable agreement with the company prior to this prosecution, but I think the level of the fine imposed by the court reflects the annoyance of the disruption to nearby residents. Why the company believed that it was acceptable to make construction noise until nearly 2 in the morning is beyond me, especially as the notice that was served two months earlier explicitly explained that construction noise from Monday until Friday had to end at 6 pm.
“I hope this sends a clear message to the construction industry that if you ignore the Council than we will take the matter further and use the legal process when necessary. “
