There has been a lot of work going on with CEMEX over the past couple of months to improve their noisy behaviour on Rufford Street. The Council noise officers convened a meeting between the CEMEX plant manager Paul Betts, Joanne WIlson of CEMEX environmental compliance, Rufford Street resident Stuart Cottis and I yesterday. CEMEX have already:
- replaced rollers on the squeaky conveyor
- replaced valves on the cement silo to deal with the dust problem
- stopped the incredibly noisy tipping of aggregate before 0830
- reduced Saturday deliveries
- stopped tipping lorries’ engines from running when stationary
- handed over a contact number for the manager for local residents
They have also undertaken to do (amongst others)
- stop tipping lorries arriving before 0830 (hurrah)
- lag the inside of the aggregate silos to reduce the noise from aggregate tipping
- replace the broken curved acoustic shield to contain noise from waiting concrete mixers
- install a new acoustic shield next to the aggregate silos
- move the tipping lorry fleet over time to use white noise reversing beepers (the ones that sound like a croaky frog rather than a loud beeper)
- examine how to use banksmen to back the lorrys up safely on the street
- tidy up the external appearance of the plant including a proper sign
- invest in community activities to help local youth
- notify us as they improve things so we can help judge what difference is made
- undertaken to preserve the horse chestnut trees that shield the plant
- buy rubber shovels to reduce the noise of clearing up spilt gravel (not a joke)
Overall we are pleased at what seems to be a substantial and well funded intent to improve the performance of the plant. Many of the problems are being blamed upon poor managment and low investment when RMC ran the plant. It has been a long haul over about six months to get to this point, but it is promising. Many of the things on my list are being done. However the community has to remain vigilant to ensure that this work is carried out. The Council noise officers have been exceptionally helpful throughout. WIll continue to keep this up to date.
I can report that, over the Christmas period, Cemex has replaced the broken acoustic shield which should reduce the noise emitted by concrete trucks waiting to load. This is to be welcomed and is certainly evidence of Cemex beginning to take its neighbourly responsibilities seriously. Thanks to Paul and Joanne and others at Cemex who have been working hard on getting these improvements brought about. Let’s hope the plant gets much improved over 2007 both in its appearance and in the amount of disruption it causes in the community.
yep it’s looking promising – but there is still plenty more to do
w
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