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Date submitted

2 August 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

continued... Noise pollution. Staff entering and leaving the site during shift changeovers will create a great deal of noise. 414 staff create a lot of noise by talking, slamming vehicle doors, vehicle engines, mobile phone conversations, car stereos, car alarms etc. shift chaneovers will take place between 7am to 8am and 7pm to 8pm (transport assessment document p25), so staff are predicted to arrive from 6.30am. The level of noise created by this shift changeover on a daily basis is NOT acceptable, especially at this time in the early morning EVERY SINGLE DAY. The welfare of the local people who neighbour this site has not been considered at all. What mitigations will be implemented to prevent early morning disturbance to neighbouring homes? Human auditory sensitivity naturally increases at this time of the early morning and night disturbances clash directly with sleep cycles. Nighttime noise disrupts critical deep-sleep. Over time this can lead to cognitive strain, emotional volatility, including anxiety and elevated cortisol which can drive up blood pressure over time. Therefore nighttime and early morning disruptions MUST be avoided in totality. The CASU solitary confinement unit will be a significant source of noise disturbance at all times of the day and night, with detainees banging and thumpine on walls and doors and shouting out, security gates, alarms and buzzers etc. What mitigations will be in place to prevent disturbance from this? Multiple air conditioning HVAC units and other plant will be on the roofs of the accommodation blocks. significant noise will be created 80 to 90dB per unit. There will be multiple units running constantly and throughout the night sounding like a constant drone. Multiple HVAC units will produce around 65dB from 60m away, so a very significant noise disturbance at night. W.H.O. recommends no more than 30dB for undisturbed sleep. Sleep will be impossible in our homes! A large crowd of men just going about their business make approximately 100dB of noise. If they shout it will be much more than that. We expect there will be a lot of shouting. So, 600 men plus 414 staff equals a LOT of noise. The basline noise survey was carried out in January 2024. Clearly noise levels generated by the IRC will be more significant in the summer when windows and doors will be open and more time is spent outside. Now consider that all of the above noises are happening at the same time. Consider the cumulative effect of 600 detainees talking and shouting, 414 staff talking and shouting, multiple HVAC units running, security gates and doors crashing and banging, vehicle noise, car stereos, car alarms, pedestrian traffic, emergency alarms etc. Now consider how draining that would be and how detrimental to mental health that will be to those of us who live just a few metres away and have to suffer this every single day and night with no respite whatsoever. Our homes are post war Cornish construction with zero accoustic screening, the construction of the upper storey, bedrooms, is tile, timber and plasterboard, that's it, we can't change that. So what mitigations will be in place to protect our quality of life and ensure that we are able to sleep, live and work in our own homes? There is no precedent for an IRC of this scale being in such close proximity to a residential area. Legal frameworks guarantee a right to peace in your own home, this is protected under human rights laws. How will we be protected against the noise and disturbance from this inappropriate expansion of the IRC?