Brighton Hill Retail Park demolition starts in early hours

The 60-year-old resident, who wishes to simply be referred to as Nigel, lives in Grieg Close in Brighton Hill.

He told the Gazette that on Wednesday, October 2, development work on the Brighton Hill Retail Park woke him up after it started in the early hours of the morning.

He said: "I was woken up about 4:45am to distant banging and crashing, plant reversing beepers and even jackhammering.

READ MORE: This is why fire crews were at the former Toys R Us building

The incident at the weekend (Image: Contributed)

"I can’t believe anyone had the ignorance to possibly think that that would be an acceptable time to start work.

"I guess that they were trying to make up time lost when demolition was suspended a few days ago for that incident involving the fire service.

"It probably saved them some money and obviously they were quite happy for local residents to pay the price in lost sleep and tired days."

Nigel is one of a number of residents who have complained about the noise of the demolition work which is taking place at the site, with one councillor telling the Gazette that developers need to "respect" the conditions that state work cannot commence until 7.30am on a weekday.

SEE MORE: Here's everything we know about the Brighton Hill retail park demolition

Cllr Andy Konieczko, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Brighton Hill, said: "A number of residents have been in touch with me about construction work on the site starting outside of the agreed hours this morning.

"According to the planning permission that was agreed for the demolition, noisy work shouldn’t start until 7.30am during the week and must stop by 6.00pm. The developers have to respect these important conditions.

"I’ve asked the Borough Council’s Planning Enforcement team to contact the developers as soon as possible and seek assurance for residents that they won’t breach their planning conditions again."

Land owner Miles Willshire spoke on behalf of Equation Properties Ltd, who are carrying out the development.

He explained that reviews are taking place with the contractors regarding the hours they work and will "ensure" that operations "comply" with approved working hours.

He said: "We are aware of the concerns raised regarding recent demolition activities at Brighton Hill Retail Park.

"We understand there has been report of some early morning preparation on-site, which we are reviewing with the contractor to ensure all operations continue to comply with the approved working hours."

He also addressed the reason for the incident at the weekend, explaining that high winds displaced debris from the site, and ensured readers that safety measures are in place. .

He said: "As for last weekend, apparently some insulation was displaced by high winds.

"The material was quickly cleared, and necessary measures were in place to address the situation effectively.

"The safety of the site remains a priority, and we will continue to monitor and uphold appropriate safety standards throughout the demolition process."