‘Our outdoor area is basically going to be unusable’: Resident struggles to relax at home over noise disturbance

FOR Alice Springs resident Ben Cartwright, “having a quiet beer out the back is not a relaxing experience any more” because of a new public housing building next door

For Alice Springs resident Ben Cartwright, due to a recently-constructed NT Housing building, his families peace and quiet has been disturbed by the airconditioning units less than 10m from his home.

FOR Alice Springs resident Ben Cartwright, “having a quiet beer out the back is not a relaxing experience any more” because of a new NT public housing building next door.

Mr Cartwright, who has spent thousands of dollars renovating his Alice Springs home, said plans for the development at 3 Willshire Street, The Gap, included condenser airconditioning units but evaporative models were installed instead.

“Essentially we have four small cars idling 10 metres off our deck,” Mr Cartwright said, describing the noise generated by the units.

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“The airconditioning units that were shown on the plans we were provided from Lands and Planning during the 14-day public submission period are not the same as the AC units that are actually now installed. I raised this issue during construction.

“I have a single dwelling three-bedroom house and our outdoor area is basically going to be unusable with four large evaporative AC units less than 10 metres away.”

Mr Cartwright said he, along with his wife, believed the development application for the Territory public housing failed to reveal “how big of an impact the development would have on the skyline, our privacy and our wellbeing”.

For Alice Springs resident Ben Cartwright, due to a recently-constructed NT Housing building, his families peace and quiet has been disturbed by the airconditioning units.

“I fail to see how what has been constructed meets any visual impact requirements,” he said.

“It has impacted my family negatively from a lifestyle perspective and financially as I believe my house, which I have spent three years renovating, is now devalued due to no privacy and the eyesore that is visible from everywhere on my property, plus the noise generated by the AC units.

“Ultimately we will be selling our house and moving which is very sad because the house has been in my family for three generations,” he said.

Mr Cartwright said he wanted noise testing carried out on the units and if they were within the approved levels, he would drop the matter.

For Alice Springs resident Ben Cartwright, due to a recently-constructed NT Housing building, his families peace and quiet has been disturbed by the airconditioning units less than 10m from his home.

A Territory Families, Housing and Communities spokeswoman confirmed noise testing would be carried out over two to four weeks, starting from next Monday.

“The outcome of the decibel testing will inform if further actions are required,” she said.

“The evaporative airconditioning units that have been installed are the latest (2020) model and do not feature a belt system, making them some of the quietest units on the market.”

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The spokeswoman said the original development application plans for 3 Willshire Street did not specify a particular type of airconditioning unit.

“On 27 August, 2019, the mechanical specification plans detailing the make and model of the evaporative airconditioning units were approved as part of the building permit,” she said.

“The location, size, number of units align with the original endorsed development application plans.”