·         The role of the Human Rights Act in enabling residents to enjoy their homes.

 

ix)  Sloane House and Sloane Lodge, Old Church Street

This is a case in which very large basements are being dug in the front and rear gardens of a listed building. The work is expected to take two to three years. The contractors are highly professional and are 'Considerate', but the scale of the civil engineering and the presence of residents in two adjacent houses (one with a party wall) is unfortunate. The Chelsea Society urges Policy Officers to interview Mr Keith Mehaffey on the lessons of this case. He has been obliged to visit on several occasions over the past year.

 

Below is an extract from an email message to Mr Mehaffy following his visit on 29 January 2013.

Vibration augmented the noise today. Almost everything in the house that was not well anchored was vibrating; radiator grills, glass, metal, doors not completely closed, decorative objects, vases. It was quite something.

The worst thing I have discovered since all this began is an element of chaos that invades the house and the experience that you are actually living in their construction site. The feeling of disorder and disharmony that permeates the entire house due to the extremes of a major construction site unsettles one's daily routine and work.