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Grrrr - my flat smells of fish

colacubes

colacubes

Mr Hot Cookie
I have lived for the past 18 months above a shop. What was once a nice quiet bookshop was taken over last year and has now opened as a fish shop. Not a problem - in theory...

Anyway, they opened last week and it seems they havn't exactly done a very good job. Apart from the constant banging of fish heads being sliced off, and bass from the stereo making my front room floor vibrate, I came home last night to discover that my flat stinks of fish. :eek: :mad: The
cat is happy - I am not!

The reason I've put this in Brixton and not surburban was cos I was wondering if anyone had any advice/contacts re. dealing with a problem like this with Lambeth council? I'm guessing I need to speak to planning/noise control? To compund the problem of the smell I'm pretty sure he hasn't got planning permission for the work he's done downstairs (removing the frontage of the shop; mounting air conditioning units which merrilly buzz into my bedroom to the side of the building) and the building is wobbling when a car is outside running the engine.

The other things is as one of the other threads has said that Brixton market is being done up, but no one seems to have cottoned on to the fact that he (and some of the other shops to be fair) are doing all sorts of slightly dubious building work which isn't exactly going to improve the area in the long-term (as the buildings will probably fall down!).

Of course the difficulty is that he owns the whole building. :rolleyes: Gah - help me please! The cat is happy but I don't want becoming one of those people that everyone gives a wide berth in the street! :oops: :(
 
nipsla said:
I have lived for the past 18 months above a shop. What was once a nice quiet bookshop was taken over last year and has now opened as a fish shop. Not a problem - in theory...

Anyway, they opened last week and it seems they havn't exactly done a very good job. Apart from the constant banging of fish heads being sliced off, and bass from the stereo making my front room floor vibrate, I came home last night to discover that my flat stinks of fish. :eek: :mad: The
cat is happy - I am not!

The reason I've put this in Brixton and not surburban was cos I was wondering if anyone had any advice/contacts re. dealing with a problem like this with Lambeth council? I'm guessing I need to speak to planning/noise control? To compund the problem of the smell I'm pretty sure he hasn't got planning permission for the work he's done downstairs (removing the frontage of the shop; mounting air conditioning units which merrilly buzz into my bedroom to the side of the building) and the building is wobbling when a car is outside running the engine.

The other things is as one of the other threads has said that Brixton market is being done up, but no one seems to have cottoned on to the fact that he (and some of the other shops to be fair) are doing all sorts of slightly dubious building work which isn't exactly going to improve the area in the long-term (as the buildings will probably fall down!).

Of course the difficulty is that he owns the whole building. :rolleyes: Gah - help me please! The cat is happy but I don't want becoming one of those people that everyone gives a wide berth in the street! :oops: :(
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Air conditioning units and a new shopfront would definitely require planning permission. Even if the a/c units are located in an acceptable location planning permission would put noise conditions on to ensure they aren't dont become a problem - get in touch with planning enforcement and get them to look into it - make sure you follow it up to else it may not get any priority. You should do the same about any works your worried about in the market too although building control may also be interested from what you say.

Regarding the noise and smell I can only suggest you get in touch with environmental health to investigate.

All of this will take time but in the meantime at least the cat's happy.
 
I live (and work) above the shop too and it smells bad and is now very very noisy.

Does anyone have any pics of where electric lane crosses electric avenue by any chance? It might be useful in proving up-to-no-goodness.
 
Update: cat is no longer happy - he's got the hump and is now skulking in the bedroom which currently seems to be the only non stinky place in the flat :(
 
nipsla said:
I have lived for the past 18 months above a shop.
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Not being nasty but - why would anyone want to actually live in or near Brixton Market? Can't you find somewhere five minutes walk away from there - ie a semi "normal" neighbourhood? :confused:
 
TeeJay said:
Not being nasty but - why would anyone want to actually live in or near Brixton Market? Can't you find somewhere five minutes walk away from there - ie a semi "normal" neighbourhood? :confused:
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Although it might not seem it, it is actually a very nice little community. Everyone in our row of blocks knows each other and know the stall holders. (The same goes for Electric Mansions from what I know.) And Brixton Market on a sunny day is one of the best sights in London.

I was just talking to one of the stall holders earlier and it seems that there has been general concern about dodgy activities from some of the shop owners for a while. Particuarly the removal of shop frontages over the past 10 years or so. Normally done under cover of night without plannning approval.
 
Whoo Hoo - the owner has had planning permission refused today on all counts (front of shop, air con units, sign, shutters). :) The environmental health people are on their case too.
 
memespring said:
Whoo Hoo - the owner has had planning permission refused today on all counts (front of shop, air con units, sign, shutters). :) The environmental health people are on their case too.
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That's fabulous news :D :D
 
So I think they are now officially trying to poison us:

Yesterday we had a lie in. Nothing really unusual in that on a Sunday, but they had decided to bleach the shop 1st thing, so we had been in bed breathing in the fumes for the best part of 2 hours. We both woke up with cracking headaches (definitely not alcohol induced) and memespring almost collapsed when he got out of bed to answer the door :eek:

Thing is I've had similar problems to this in the past and I'm now starting to get really concerned about our health (our last place had a dodgy boiler that caused me to faint and twat my head on the coffee table after it started pumping out carbon monoxide - the landlord finally believed us when it was condemned by transco :rolleyes: ). I've been on to the environmental health people at the council and they say the same thing each time I speak to them that they'll go and talk to them and ask them to change their products. I just can't seem to get them to take us seriously. :mad:

Has anyone got any suggestions for people we could contact other than our councillors and environmental health?
 
nipsla said:
So I think they are now officially trying to poison us:

Yesterday we had a lie in. Nothing really unusual in that on a Sunday, but they had decided to bleach the shop 1st thing, so we had been in bed breathing in the fumes for the best part of 2 hours. We both woke up with cracking headaches (definitely not alcohol induced) and memespring almost collapsed when he got out of bed to answer the door :eek:

Thing is I've had similar problems to this in the past and I'm now starting to get really concerned about our health (our last place had a dodgy boiler that caused me to faint and twat my head on the coffee table after it started pumping out carbon monoxide - the landlord finally believed us when it was condemned by transco :rolleyes: ). I've been on to the environmental health people at the council and they say the same thing each time I speak to them that they'll go and talk to them and ask them to change their products. I just can't seem to get them to take us seriously. :mad:

Has anyone got any suggestions for people we could contact other than our councillors and environmental health?
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Do you rent? Landlord?
 
RushcroftRoader said:
Do you rent? Landlord?
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It's a leashold, which actually seems to mean we have less rights that if it was privatly rented. The guy who owns/sublets the shop is the same guy who now owns the building (he lives out south somewhere I think). He refuses to do any work on the building, sort out building insurance, accept our ground rent etc.

Edit: It also means my favour approach - a huge sign in the window saying "Illegal Shop, no planning permission" - would be a breach of our lease. Im still trying to convince everyone else in the building its a god idea though :)
 
Sorry banging on about this, but I need to write it down somewhere so i dont go mental.

I just took a letter into the shop about cleaning products / fainting etc. Was all polite and everything, but he (manager of the shop as opposed to the owner) through the letter away ("talk to the council, dont bother me in my shop") and he and the shop workers started telling me to fuck off etc. nice.
 
nipsla said:
Has anyone got any suggestions for people we could contact other than our councillors and environmental health?
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I'm really sorry to hear what's happening; it must be very depressing/frustrating. Go to your MP. It's really amazing what can happen when people get a letter on House of Commons stationary. Your MP can also put pressure on the council to sort this out. Good luck - I really hope you can get this sorted out quickly. No one should have to live in those conditions.
 
Weren't they supposed to be doing some remedial work vis a vis the recent planning decision?
I live across the road - nothing to stop me putting a sign on my window/balcony? PM me and we'll talk:D
 
zuszsa said:
Weren't they supposed to be doing some remedial work vis a vis the recent planning decision?
I live across the road - nothing to stop me putting a sign on my window/balcony? PM me and we'll talk:D
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That's tempting :) (still not sure I can convince everyon it's a good idea though). will pm you at bit later.

Yep they are supposed to be fixing it, but chances are they will apeal to the secretary of state (which they would loose, but it would drag it out for them as the backlog is apparently massive).

They have also been told by lambeth building control to put the shop front back, but they are ignoring them and most of building control is on holiday until mid september and really dont seem up for chasing them.
 
memespring said:
I just took a letter into the shop about cleaning products / fainting etc. Was all polite and everything, but he (manager of the shop as opposed to the owner) through the letter away ("talk to the council, dont bother me in my shop") and he and the shop workers started telling me to fuck off etc. nice.
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Sweet :rolleyes:

Get a mate with a camcorder to film you when you try again. You then have evidence for the council that you tried to negotiate with the manager and staff and they were refused to co-operate

I like zuszsa's idea, I just hope it wouldn't lead to a late night window bricking :(
 
Radar said:
Sweet :rolleyes:

Get a mate with a camcorder to film you when you try again. You then have evidence for the council that you tried to negotiate with the manager and staff and they were refused to co-operate

I like zuszsa's idea, I just hope it wouldn't lead to a late night window bricking :(
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mmmmm.... good point about the bricking! I wouldn't be worried about bricks through my windows so much as them chucking old fish at me as I walked past in the morning:D

Something must be done - my glaring at them every day has had no effect. But then my glaring always was a bit weak - that's why I had to give up teaching.
 
Silly suggestions part II

1) Bit of DIY plumbing, suddenly the roof of the fish shop springs a mysterious leak and the whole place gets flooded about twice a day at strangely inconvenient times...

2) Fix sign to door of premises advertising "free crack here with every salmon fillet".

3) Buy piece of fish and then send sample away to environmental health to be examined, expressing your "grave concern" etc. Alternatively any uni lab will probably do it for you for a nominal fee (ooh, in hindsight this is not as sily a suggestion as the others)

4) Buy Slipknot CD. Point speakers toward floor and in direction of fish shop and turn bass to max. Put CD player on repeat. Leave flat for the day.

5) Buy huge cockroach from Acme Exotic Pet Food Suppliers Ltd (Clapham branch) and claim you found it in a mackeral from fish shop.

6) Eh, thats it.

7) I realise that none of these suggestions are helpful in any way, but I can't think of anything useful to say. Sorry.
 
Sensible suggestion.....buy some fish from there and check the weight on accurate scales...the weights and measures people are far more scary than environmental health......I've heard grumblings around the market about how some newer premises undercut other shops by fiddling their scales....
 
Mrs Magpie said:
Sensible suggestion.....buy some fish from there and check the weight on accurate scales...the weights and measures people are far more scary than environmental health......I've heard grumblings around the market about how some newer premises undercut other shops by fiddling their scales....
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That's actually an incredibly good idea. Can't hurt to get another lot of people on their case if they're being dodgy. Might have to send someone else in there though - I don't think we're v popular with them at the moment.
 
The national planning inspectorate decision came through on this today (after 18 smelly months) and we won!! 100%

The building owner has 3 months to put it all back how it was. :)

Thanks to everyone who put in objections etc. (The council planning peeps have been great btw.)
 
fantastic news! well done.

A fish supper to celebrate perhaps? :D (sorry...)

What's the chances of them actually changing it back? Will they get closed if they don't comply?
 
Brixton Hatter said:
fantastic news! well done.

A fish supper to celebrate perhaps? :D (sorry...)

What's the chances of them actually changing it back? Will they get closed if they don't comply?
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The full decision came through yesterday and they have to put everything back exactly as it was: www.memespring.co.uk/files/decision.pdf

This is potentially a very important decision for the market as it sets a precident for the council. The market traders federation are very happy also. :)
 
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