Seagulls nuisance

I've obtained the assistance of City Council Environmental Health Officers following complaints from residents about seagulls noise in the early hours.

I contacted the Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards about the problem, following constituents being kept off their sleep by the noise of gulls nesting on tenement buildings in parts of the West End, particularly on some of the tall tenements south of the Perth Road shopping area.

The problem of nesting on tenement roofs was summed up neatly by one resident who said,

“Never mind the swooping attacks once the chicks have hatched, my main problem is primarily one of noise in the wee hours of the morning. They typically start about 2am or so and go on until 6 or 7 am.”

I have been councillor for the area for seven years and each year the number of complaints about this problem in the area has increased – particularly in the past couple of years. Residents are sure that the gull population has increased as they have been displaced from their old sites such as the docks area and various some previously decaying industrial sites which have been since redeveloped.

The Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards has very promptly responded with advice and offering to speak with those residents who have raised concerns.

In the City Council response, it is accepted that the “ongoing impact of gulls” is partly due to being displaced through derelict properties being modernised/replaced and the Council's efforts to reduce readily available food sources in the city centre area, and this has exacerbated the problem in the West End but there may be other contributory factors.

I'm pleased that the City Council recognised the problem and is willing to assist residents with the issue.