Man gets £1,000 after noisy play area complaint

Cardiff council says it is going to develop plans for a new play area

A man who lives near a children's play area has received more than £1,000 in compensation after complaining about the noise.

The homeowner told the Public Services Ombudsman that excessive noise from a multi-use games area in Hailey Park, Cardiff, was causing a nuisance and having a "substantial" impact on his life.

In January, the Ombudsman ruled Cardiff council had not taken appropriate action to address the problem and was told to offer £300 for the inconvenience and, if not resolved within eight weeks, to pay him £75 a week until it was.

The council said it had secured funding to develop plans for a new play area.

This means the man has been getting £75 a week since mid March, totalling £900 on top of the initial £300.

Earlier this year, more than 1,000 people signed a petition opposing plans to remove the play area as a result of his complaint to the ombudsman.

After a public meeting, the council said the existing facilities would remain in place while work continued on a suitable mitigation plan.

The homeowner who complained told the BBC he had been living with the problem for 10 years and having to confront people about noise at all hours of the day was having an impact on his quality of life.

Professional readings were taken as part of his complaint, he said, which showed a ball hitting the wire mesh in the play area reached 90 decibels - the level of noise of a lawnmower according to the World Health Organization.

He added: "From the very start of my complaint, I was always trying to find an alternative arrangement that would not affect children's opportunity to play and not affect any other residents in the same way that we have been affected.

"A resolution is now being looked at, with new, better equipment in a more suitable location."

A football being kicked or bouncing on the concrete can reach the same noise level as a car door being slammed, the homeowner says

The play area in Llandaff North is a concrete surface about the size of a five-a-side football pitch with metal mesh goals at each end.

People living nearby said they were shocked the complainant would get compensation until the noise issue is resolved.

Paul Rock, a committee member of community group Friends of Hailey Park, said: "It seems a real shame that public money is going to an individual in these circumstances.

"I would rather that wasn't the case. I'm sure Cardiff Council can ill afford to hand over £300 a month to a private individual."

Rhys Trebilcock says there are not many safe places around for kids to play

Mr Rock said he was concerned this case "would set a really bad precedent".

"The current location is a really good location, clearly there was a planning issue when the houses were built, that they shouldn't have been built so close to established play areas."

Parents whose children play in the park said they were also unhappy, including Laura Kalirai who has a football-mad seven-year-old.

"I find it a bit worrying, how far can this go? Does this mean we're going to start having to pay for everybody to be compensated for things they don't like about where they live," she said.

Rhys Trebilcock, whose son also uses the play area, called it "laughable".

Laura says she finds the situation "worrying"

The council said: "Initial engagement with local school children and information sharing with the wider community will begin shortly, with a view to resolving the noise issue and delivering improved facilities for the community as quickly as possible.

"In the meantime, the council has agreed to comply with the recommendations set out by the ombudsman."