Asda criticised for failing to engage with residents over noisy air handling unit in Tweedmouth

The Tweedmouth branch of Asda which, residents claim, has a too-noisy ventilation system.

The company has been embroiled in a long-running battle with Northumberland County Council to get retrospective planning permission for the machine at its Tweedmouth store in Berwick.

The proposals were initially turned down for permission over a lack of information around the noise issue, with the council’s decision upheld by the planning inspectorate following an appeal.

A new application went before the North Northumberland Local Area Committee in March, this time containing surveys of the noise produced by the device, which is used to regulate and circulate air in the store as part of a heating and ventilating system.

However, members voted to defer the decision until it carried out its own assessments of the noise level.

At the latest meeting of the committee on Thursday, members were told that Asda had reprogrammed the system not to operate between 10pm and 8am, unless the internal temperature inside the store dropped to below 10c. It was explained this would only occur in “exceptional” winter circumstances.

Furthermore, a noise assessment carried out by the council measured sound levels at 42 decibels during the day and 36 at night – therefore concluding that the rating level of the air handling unit did not exceed the background noise levels at either time.

Despite this, some neighbours were not satisfied. One, identified as Mr Dodds, said: “This has been on the table for years.

“It is still noisy, they still don’t have planning permission. Nothing has changed from when you rejected it last time. Asda still make no effort to talk to us.”

Berwick East’s Coun Georgina Hill proposed rejecting the application for a second time, arguing that “the noise issue has not been dealt with”.

However, she was unable to secure a second councillor to support her proposal, meaning it failed. Members then voted to grant permission.

Coun Trevor Thorne said: “This is a very difficult subject. I don’t think Asda has handled it well. Their liaison with neighbours has not been good.

“If Asda does breach permissions, it will go back to environmental health and they will deal with them.”

The plans were voted through by five votes to one.