* Woodfield, 21 July: Noise from garden
(S047) Large party in a student house in Woodfield Road that began in late evening on Tuesday, 21 July, and continued until around 4-30am on the 22nd.
I observed this event between midnight and around 4am, having initially been contacted by a resident who lives close to the address.
(Update 16:40, 23/07/2020: Two other residents have submitted complaints. See below.)
We estimate there were about 60 people present at the property, mostly in the back garden, which is not visible from the street.
There was some beat music, but most of the noise was the general hubbub of a large group of people in the open air, interspersed with shouting, screaming, loud laughing, etc, which could be heard approximately 140 metres away at the end of Collingwood Road where it joins Melville.
It appears toilet facilities were inadequate because at 1-50am I watched two males leave the property, cross to the other side of Woodfield Road, urinate outside some lock-up garages, and then return to the party.
The resident made his first complaint to UoB at about 11-20pm, estimating the number of people then present at about 40. He subsequently saw another 12 people arriving as he went to the property to complain. I myself saw some further arrivals, and when I spoke to the resident a little later we concluded the attendance was by this stage around 60.
The resident phoned the police on 101 at around midnight and reported the event as a large gathering that was probably in breach of the coronavirus meeting restrictions. However, the police did not attend.
(Emails, 21 July 2020, 23:25, 23:52, 00:16)
Since I had not been able to get a full count of arrivals as I have sometimes done in the past, I counted people leaving the property over the next several hours. By about 3:45 am, a net 41 people had departed in small groups. There were clearly some people still present at that time since I was able to hear noise from within my own property until at least 4am. Based on this evidence, I think the earlier estimate of about 60 in attendance was about right.
Although most of the disturbance was centred on the garden, a group of about half a dozen people lingered outside the front of the house making a lot of noise shortly before 2am. Not long later a different group left towards Hampton Road, where they gathered in the centre of the junction for loud goodbyes accompanied by lots of hugging and embracing.
The resident noted in his complaints to UoB that
"this is not the only time they have had a party in the last 2 weeks. The other parties over the last 2 weeks have been small at around 15+ ppl and on these times the music and talking was either turned down or off by around 23:00H."
In a follow-up message the next day he reported that the party finished at around 4-30am.
(Email, 22 July 2020, 13:38)
(Additions, 16:40, 23 July)
A resident in Cowper Road has complained to UoB: "We have been subject to multiple student parties emanating from Brighton Road, Collingwood Road, Woodfield Road (the most recent on 21 July) and Chandos Road. It has reached the point where it's a pleasant surprise if we have a night without a party in more than one of the aforementioned roads.
"The new normal for us has been buying silicone ear plugs to try and mitigate some of the noise and still being woken up in the small hours. This is usually shouting, laughing, loud bass music, scooters dropping off food late at night (after 10pm) or taxis arriving."
(Email, 23/07/2020, 12:33)
A resident in Hampton Road whose house is about 75 metres from the Woodfield property has also complained to UoB: "This party went on throughout the night and into the early hours. While there was music, it was more the shouting and screaming and general noise that kept myself and my family awake ... most of us have to work despite lack of sleep.
"Not only that, there must have been 70-plus people there—we are in the midst of a pandemic?
" ... Please be aware I live 2 streets away! The amount of parties this month has been bonkers. I have complained to [x] Collingwood Road also ... they had parties every night for 10 days, again unacceptable."
(Email, 23 July 2020, 14:46)