A row has shattered the peace in Chirk – over a noisy fan

A petition has been handed to the manager of Chirk Court Care Home on behalf of Maes y Waun residents who live nearest to the home – because they want a kitchen fan to stay turned down.

They say it is too noisy – and has been an issue since 2015.

The noise, say neighbours, prevents them from enjoying their gardens and can be heard inside their homes.

Local resident Janet Mitchell said: “Environmental health was called in and said the fan didn’t need to be higher than the first setting to be efficient.

“It was also said the staff preferred it low because they didn’t like the noise themselves. So it was turned down and quiet was restored.

“So far, we are still free from noise – but we’ve had no assurance from the management of Chirk Court that we will never have to go through this again. A care home whose job it is to care for the elderly should care equally about the health and wellbeing of its neighbours.”

A petition was handed to the care home last week with Wrexham County Borough councillor Terry Evans as well as John Clark, Janet Mitchell and the manager of Chirk Court.

A meeting about the noise was also held attended by two Wrexham environmental health officers and a senior manager from Clwyd Alyn, which runs the care home.

Kevin Hughes, senior community care manager with Clwyd Alyn Housing Association, which manages the Chirk Court care home, said: “We can confirm there has been some concern from a few people living near Chirk Court regarding the kitchen’s air-extraction system.

“We requested an inspection visit from the council’s environmental health officer. He has since contacted us to report the kitchen extractor fan does not constitute a statutory nuisance.

“He also said he will advise the neighbours to contact him should they feel there is an increase in the noise levels.

“We really do value the good relationship we have had with the local community for many years and we will continue to try to resolve any concerns as quickly as possible.

“Cllr Terry Evans joined us for the site visit so he could also see the action we take to ensure the high standard of care provided at the home does not impact on neighbours.”