Sleep Survey Results - 31 October 2022

87 people have responded of which 78 are Soho residents with ages spread fairly evenly from 22 to 80.  59% have lived in Soho more than 10 years, 26% between 3 and 10 years, 6% between 1 and 3 years and 9% have lived here less than a year.  42% own their homes, 20% are Soho Housing Association and the rest tenants with other landlords. 10 respondents have children living at home with them.  58% have double glazing, 37% single glazing and 5% have triple glazing.

24% of respondents have their sleep disturbed 7 nights a week
16% of respondents have their sleep disturbed 5 or 6 nights a week
19% of respondents have their sleep disturbed 3 or 4 nights a week
19% of respondents have their sleep disturbed once or twice a week
20% do not have a problem with environmental noise pollution

Topping the list in September was people drinking in the street with 54 mentions, then pedicabs with 51, waste collections at 48, construction noise 36 and car horns 33 and deliveries at 25.  Other noise sources identified were air conditioning, motorbikes revving, building alarms and music from licensed venues.  The most common identified problem at 42% of respondents was people drinking and shouting in the street.

64% of  respondents agreed that noise nuisance from increased commercial activity at night is the most serious problem impacting Soho residents quality of life
46% of respondents agreed that noise nuisance is so bad that they have considered moving away from Soho
60% of respondents agreed that noise nuisance and sleep deprivation is adversely impacting my health and the health of the people they live with
67% of respondents agreed that the council should base its noise policy on the World Health Organisation guidelines
64% of respondents agreed that our ward councillors should make this their priority during the next four years
69% of respondents agreed that during the time I have lived in Soho noise pollution has got significantly worse
73% of respondents agreed that if noise limits are being exceeded the council should consider reviewing existing alcohol licences
72% of respondents agreed that the council should install electronic noise monitoring in soho
56% of respondents agreed that the council should not grant additional premises licence for the sale of alcohol in soho
62% of respondents agreed that the council should not grant any extensions of hours for premises in soho
68% of respondents agreed that the council should renew its noise strategy as a matter of urgency

Many respondents made additional comments:-

I left Soho 4 years ago. After 20 years, the noise & air pollution finally broke me. Like the frog in the pan of water with the heat gradually turned up, it took me a while to realise that it wasn't me going soft, it was the significant degradation of the environment around me. Since I moved out of my flat, several other tenants have moved in & swiftly out again citing sleep disruption & excessive night noise as their reason for leaving. The flat is now used as an office rather than as residential.

I am disappointed that another restaurant unit is going to be let on Hopkins Street by Shaftesbury when the residents already have an enormous amount of noise from the existing restaurants. No doubt they will also want an alcohol license, which will increase the noise and disturb residents even more.

As a disabled person working from home, I find it extremely exhausting not able to have rest at night, Screams and noise of drunk people every night, The Landlord WCC does not want to change the windows to a double glazing nor allow tenants to pay privately for windows to be upgraded. Noise at home, lack of sleep, and concentration in the day time.  I have a hand held noise monitor, I recorded  noise levels of 97db outside the pub at the corner of Broadwick and Berwick streets

More consideration needs to be given to residents from councillors, people visiting the area and local businesses in particular those who serve alcohol and have late night licences.  Decisions such as granting planning and licence applications should not be made by people who do not live in the area and are therefore not impacted by the decision making.

Very difficult to get the local authority to understand and take complaints seriously. Officers often helpful but then the case goes to committee and they always seem to rule in favour of the commercial premises rather than residents.

There is supposed to be a presumption to refuse new licences but in practice the council still lets new things through until after Midnight, which is far too late and has made a nonsense of the policy.

There should be a quiet window of 11pm to 8am every day.  7am deliveries are far too early for a lot of people if they are noisy or use cages or refrigeration.

I live in Marshall St and overlook it. Regularly now (most nights) there are traffic jams in the street at 3am in the morning with cars picking up people leaving clubs. The cars frequently are using their horns. Last night they had their door open with music blaring. we have 2 motorbike stands close together. 1 in Broadwick St and 1 in Marshall St. There is always at least one bike revving up at either 3am or really early like 530amThis noise has changed and increased over the past 3-4 years. I am woken up most nights at about 3am. And i have double glazing and am on [a high] floor.

Businesses take no responsibility for their customers drinking/eating and mainly shouting outside, including when they are queuing, and particularly when they are leaving. Post al fresco, there is a new attitude that anything goes on the streets and that includes contempt for the community who live here. The Council need to rethink this and put some major resource into enforcement.

I've lived in Soho for 60 years... Born and bred.. It's never been this noisy!

Early hours waste collections (including bottle smashing) also includes the food & beverage businesses putting their waste in the street and bottle bins at anti-social hours ahead of collection times. Our local restaurants are not supposed to put bottles out between the hours of 23:00 and 07:00 but they frequently do. Frequently delivery trucks, some with noisy refrigeration units are also delivering early hours.  

Also deliveries & pedicabs. Unfortunately my lack of sleep due to noise has caused serious health issues and I now cannot work and suffer anxiety and depression. I'm woken up on average 5 times per night and have considered suicide. Why I'm being denied sleep between the hours of 11pm and 7am astonishes me. The freeholders Shaftesbury Carnaby show a total disrespect to the effects that noise has on the residents of Soho.