Overnight construction near Mt Albert: Residents say they got no warning
Noisy overnight construction and vibrations kept Mt Albert residents awake until midnight this week, with some saying they received no warning about the work.
Sindy Xian was putting her 8-year-old son to bed on Monday night when a loud noise rattled her McLean St home.
“It’s really loud. It’s like you can’t miss it, I thought my neighbour was doing the lawns in the middle of the night,” she said.
Xian’s husband investigated and found Fulton Hogan contractors cutting concrete near the National Storage development on New North Rd to install a Watercare fire connection.
He was told the work had approval and was likely to continue until 3am. The noise eased around midnight.
Xian said they had not been formally notified about the work.
Her husband made a noise complaint to Auckland Council. Following up the next day, Xian was disappointed to learn a noise compliance officer had been dispatched to the area but hadn’t found the sound excessive.
“The site did go quiet for 30 minutes then they started again until 12ish,” Xian said.
She posted on a community Facebook page asking if others had been affected by the racket. At least three residents replied to say they’d also complained.
Another resident contacted by the Herald, who didn’t want to be named, said they received a letter the previous week warning crews would be drilling for “some sort of services” over three nights.
A notice from Watercare and Fulton Hogan confirmed that crews were working from 7pm to 5am over three nights, weather permitting.
Despite living further back from the road, the resident said they could still hear the construction cacophony.
“I can imagine people that live closer to the road, in places that aren’t quite as soundproof, it would have been really loud.”
Construction noise had become a recurring problem along New North Rd, where at least two developments were underway and had at times disrupted working from home, they told the Herald.
“I’ve actually had to end video calls because it’s so loud no one else on the call can hear themselves think. It has been bad, especially when both sites were in the early stages.”
Watercare head of developer services Shane Lawton said installing a fire connection supply for the National Storage site at 955 New North Rd, required temporarily shutting down a watermain beneath the road.
Working at night avoided daytime traffic disruption, he said.
“We understand that the noise from this work has caused some residents distress and we sincerely apologise.”
The work was scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with crews aiming to minimise disruption by undertaking the loudest activities early in each shift and using sound-reducing barriers and mats, Lawton said.
Letters notifying residents about the work had been delivered to about 50 properties on either side of the site before Monday, he said.
Watercare said it had not received any formal noise complaints about the site directly.
Auckland Council confirmed it received two noise complaints before 10pm on Monday, which were logged for investigation. The council passed the information on to Watercare to follow up.
Auckland Transport (AT) sets the approved hours for roadworks in the area.
An AT spokesperson said contractors were permitted to work overnight between 7pm and 5am or 10.30am to 3pm on school days.
A typical night ran anywhere from 7pm to 9pm depending on traffic volumes, with a reduced noise threshold applying from 10.30pm and finish times falling between 5am and 6am depending on morning congestion, they said.
“While we acknowledge the concerns raised about the impact of this work, our role is to balance the needs of residents, businesses and people travelling through the area, while completing work safely and efficiently.”
Mike Scott has covered stories across New Zealand and internationally for more than 20 years. His work spans writing, photography and video and has won numerous journalism awards.
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