Early deliveries row over trucks arriving at Aldi in North Berwick

Supermarket chain Aldi is facing opposition over plans to lift an early bird ban on deliveries to its North Berwick store despite claims it will be quieter than a dawn chorus.
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The food giants have asked East Lothian Council to let lorries deliver to the store from 5.30am instead of having to wait until 7am so staff can stock up shelves before the doors open.

They backed their request with an independent noise assessment of the street which found bird song was a “significant source” of noise at that time in the morning.

Deliveries wrangle: Aldi in North BerwickDeliveries wrangle: Aldi in North Berwick
Deliveries wrangle: Aldi in North Berwick
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And it ruled the addition of a delivery truck would fit in with the dawn sounds created by current traffic and the birds.

Despite the claims the application for a change of delivery hours has been called before the local authority’s planning committee by ward councillor Jeremy Findlay, to allow local residents to express their “fears and concerns” .

North Berwick Community Council has objected to the planned change of delivery hours.

A report to councillors says the community council objected on the grounds the “noise generated by the arrival and departure of trucks and theunloading process during the proposed amended hours would negatively impact on the amenity of the occupants of residential properties located on Glenburn Road.”

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At a community council meeting earlier in the summer it was claimed neighbours in the street were already being woken up by noisy deliveries.

The current planning condition bans any deliveries from being made to the store between 11pm and 7am.

Aldi carried out a noise survey at the site with a firm going to the site in March to monitor noise between 5.30am and 7am when the store was closed.

They reported 87 cars, 11 HGVs and eight buses passing the site during the early morning period.

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Between 7am and 7.30am the traffic increased to 105 cars, four HGVs and six buses.

During the first two hours of the survey the monitors reported that along with traffic “birdsong was also a significant source in the vicinity of the store from the dawn chorus”.

They concluded the additional sound of a delivery truck would be just below the target noise levels set for the time of day and added “This is below the area background leve and is in context with the environmental noise climate”.

Councillor Findlay called in the application, which officers have recommended for approval, “to give local residents an opportunity to express their fears and concerns and allow the planning committee to consider it in full.”

They will rule on the application next week.

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