A Birmingham resident has been forced to wear headphones in her own home to cope with disruptive construction noise from a nearby property conversion in Ward End.
Long-time resident affected
Lorraine Taylor, who has lived in Southern Road for 40 years, says work began last summer to convert a terraced house into a six-bedroom house of multiple occupancy (HMO). The noise from drilling and banging extends until 9pm some nights, driving her to despair.
"Work lasts until 9pm some nights and I have to put headphones in to deal with the drilling and banging," she told BirminghamLive. "I feel like the council is turning a blind eye to this, I'm having to fight and it's draining me."
Additional issues
The construction work has also caused water supply issues for six houses on the road. Taylor says the contractor initially claimed not to speak English when she raised concerns, but later proved fluent.
She contacted local councillor Bushra Bi about the conversion, questioning whether turning the terraced house into an HMO was appropriate. The development has created parking problems and become an eyesore for residents.
Council response
Birmingham City Council is investigating the redevelopment scheme after concerns were raised but declined to comment further.
