Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, has written to Nadhim Zahawi, Minister for Business and Industry, asking the Government to issue additional guidelines for ongoing construction and roadworks.
Nickie penned her letter after receiving correspondence from local people in the West End, Pimlico and the City of London concerned for their mental health and wellbeing due to constant noise from ongoing works during lockdown.
In her letter, Nickie commented, “Areas like the City of London, Pimlico and Soho, but not exclusive to these areas, are witnessing ongoing construction and roadworks, often six days a week. The noise and vibrations particularly are taking their toll.
“With the weather improving and households opening their windows during the day, coupled with the fact that people are having to stay indoors for the majority of, if not all, the day, the stress caused by these works is increasing tensions within families and ultimately the mental health and wellbeing of my constituents.”
To resolve this issue Nickie added, “I would be grateful for your consideration as to whether the Government would publish guidance to local authorities advising that, where appropriate, the hours of such construction and roadworks are reduced, that there is no work at weekends and that, wherever possible, noisy work and vibration free days are introduced during the week.”
Other residents have also contacted Nickie to allege that some construction and road workers may not been adhering to the government’s guidelines on social distancing.
Nickie has raised this with Westminster City Council and the Corporation of London, who have both assured her that they are communicating with the firms working in their respective authorities constantly to ensure guidelines are enforced.
You can read Nickie’s letter to Nadhim Zahawi in full here.
