Residents 'kept up at night' by noisy fridges in Aberdeenshire shop

Neighbours living next door to the Premier store in Whitehills have hit out at its noisy air conditioning units, saying the noise is “keeping them up at night”.

Businessman Billy Gatt owns the Loch Street shop, and had lodged an application with Aberdeenshire Council to get the go-ahead for changes that have already been made.

He wanted permission for moving three refrigeration units that were already in place and adding a further three, as well as removing one air source heat pump.

But those living nearby sent a noise complaint to the local authority, which was later investigated by the environmental health team.

A noise impact assessment was carried out from the nearest house on Redwell Street.

Readings taken inside one property and its garden showed that action needed to be taken to reduce noise from the store to “acceptable levels”.

Environmental health officers visited the area in July and noted noise from the fridges and air conditioning units was “clearly audible”.

They also stated that the sound from the units was “clearly distinguishable” from general background sounds.

Officers said that some measures have been taken to reduce the noise, but it’s not enough to stop any nuisance.

Two objections had been received from those living in the street behind the shop.

In their letter, Redwell Drive residents Ian and Michelle Clark claimed the fan units create a “significant” sound.

They said they are unable to open their bedroom window at night as the “constant drone” of the fans makes it difficult for them to fall asleep.

And, they say the noise can be heard even if the windows are closed.

“This loss of sleep is detrimental to both my mental and physical health, along with that of my family,” the letter added.

Neighbour Steven Burnett also objected to the application. He claimed the number of fans had increased from those approved during the building’s construction.

Mr Burnett went on to say the noise is “constant” and can also be heard inside his home.

The matter recently went before the Banff and Buchan area committee.

Council planners noted that Mr Gatt had made efforts to reduce the noisy units; however, this hasn’t been enough to stop the ongoing issues.

They said the retrospective work “cannot meet the acceptable background noise levels” and believed it had the potential to impact neighbouring properties.

Therefore, they recommended it be refused.

Mr Gatt spoke at the meeting to defend his plan and explained why the changes were needed.

He told the committee the shop was built and opened in 2022, hailing it as a “substantial investment” and “state-of-the-art construction”.

When the plans for the store were initially granted, it was agreed there would be three large air source pumps installed on the roof.

Mr Gatt explained that the roof was “designed to conceal the pumps and refrigeration units”.

However, during the shop fit out, it needed to increase its fridge units from three to six and reduce its air source pumps from three to two.

Businessman Billy Gatt is a familiar face in Whitehills, having lived in the village for 40 years.

He bought the original Premier shop just yards away 20 years ago and ran it for 17 years before building the new store.

The current shop, which was designed to be bigger and more accessible to customers, has 32 full and part-time members of staff.

Mr Gatt owns the Rockfish chipper and the Seafield Arms too, which was purchased and “extensively” refurbished before reopening in 2013.

He is also the self-proclaimed village postmaster, after taking on the post office in 2015 as it was at risk of being lost following the retirement of the postmistress.

However, councillor Mark Findlater suggested it would be “beneficial” for a site visit before making a final decision.

He believed members should visit the area to check out the sound for themselves.

The committee unanimously agreed to this and will visit the shop site and surrounding streets.

It is expected that the committee will consider the proposal when they meet again next month.