'I was forced to move out for doing my job - neighbours didn't like the noise'
A woman said she feels betrayed after being forced out of her flat because neighbours complained about the noise.
Fiona Fey, 35, had to put her possessions into storage and is currently staying with friends.
She made the decision to leave her London apartment after being handed a noise abatement notice by Lewisham Council.
The professional musician of 10 years used to tutor and practice playing the piano, guitar, singing and low whistling in her flat.
She also recorded various projects for her folk pop band 'Something Sleeps' and a second group called 'Mediæval Bæbes'.
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"I stopped playing the piano in October because my neighbours said it was too loud," she told My London.
"Since then I played on three occasions and my downstairs neighbour started thumping on my door very aggressively.
Fiona Fey is a professional musician and previously gave piano lessons in Lewisham (Don Shades)"I called the police. It doesn’t sound violent just thumping, but it’s really scary. The council didn't take into account the level of aggression and living alone, it was very nasty.
“I also practiced a low whistle which was only 80 decibels and obviously low sounding. I didn’t play my clarinet at all and there’s been a definite decline in my ability.
"I also sang but it was predominantly guitar playing, mostly finger plucking. Again, that was quite quiet."
Lewisham Council said it tried to reach an agreement between Ms Fey and her neighbours but negotiations proved unsuccessful.
"I wasn’t evicted, I couldn't play music in my flat," Ms Fey said.
"It’s the nature of the job being a musician. I used to teach piano in Lewisham for four days a week after school, and during day I’d practice and record various projects.
"I had only been home for two days on the previous fortnight [before the notice was issued] and had been really busy rehearsing.
"Every day I was out of the house and I had been away all weekend. I had only been there not even two full days as I had gone to work to teach.
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"I wouldn’t have left the flat otherwise. There would be no point in me living there now - it would be a waste of money paying for a place I couldn't be in."
Ms Fey described an “intimidating” visit from the council who she said "treated me like a criminal".
She added: “I felt so betrayed, ganged up on, angry and upset.
“Representatives show you their badges, they were really serious.
"I smiled and let them in being chatty and jokey, but they said ‘we’re not here to make friends, it’s serious official business.’
"We sat down in the living room and I said ‘please take a seat' but they said ‘we’ll stand. We’re not out to make the impression we're here to make friends’.
"It was very intimidating. The way they talked, it was very intimidating.
"They were both talking at the same time - they don’t let you get a word in. It was very upsetting."
Lewisham Council said it was left with no choice but to serve Ms Fey with the notice.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “We have been aware of noise issues at a residence since November 2022 involving loud music, playing of instruments and singing, resulting in numerous complaints.
"We celebrate the musicality and creativity of our borough and recognise people’s right to play an instrument in their home.
"We only intervene when we receive complaints and always try to resolve these amicably, which is balanced and can include mediation.
"Lewisham Homes spoke with the leaseholder in January 2023 and was advised that we would continue to monitor the situation. As a result of the noise complaints, a referral for mediation was made in mid-January 2023.
“After mediation, the tenant refused to agree to a good neighbour agreement or rehearsal times to prevent further concerns."
The council said Lewisham Homes instructed a professional witness who attended the complainant’s homes in February 2023.
They explained that the report from the professional witness confirmed that the music from the residence was audible within the complainant’s home and was at an unreasonable level.
"Lewisham Homes and Lewisham Council do not make decisions like this lightly and have tried to avoid enforcement, which is only ever done as a last resort," the spokesperson continued.
"In this case, regrettably, when we tried to explore reasonable offers and solutions to find a balance, the tenant refused to engage and we received multiple further complaints.
“A statutory nuisance is defined as a disturbance that interferes with someone's right to enjoy their home or is damaging to someone's health. It is much more than just an annoyance or being aware of something, which is why we would always assess each situation individually."
While Ms Fey acknowledges there were multiple complaints, she claims that they were all made by the same person.
She added: "Their allegation that I refused to engage is also untrue as evidenced in the video linked in the original petition."
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