Sheffield dry cleaners Abbey Glen affecting people’s ‘sleep and mental health’ with noise and odours, say residents

Sean Corey presented a petition to a council meeting on behalf of almost 200 Westfield residents about Abbey Glen dry cleaners, which is based on Carley Drive.

The company says it has been “falsely accused by a small minority” and is a “good neighbour”.

Mr Corey said problems began when Abbey Glen moved to new premises on the industrial estate surrounded by houses.

“The site became operational in April 2021 and the hours they worked very quickly went to 18 hours per day, five days a week.

“Many residents suffer from sleeping problems due to this, often only getting five hours sleep per night.

“We’re often woken up by the sound of the steam generators at 6am or earlier and a tonal noise can be heard in bedrooms with windows shut, right up to midnight. In the summer it’s impossible to sleep with windows open due to the noise.

“The banging of huge trolleys up to 18 hours a day is a further source of sleep disturbance. Many residents are unable to enjoy sitting outside due to the noise and the smell. We don’t even get bank holidays off.”

Decline in residents’ health

Mr Corey said residents can also smell a “burnt starchy chemical” odour.

He added: “People are angry, annoyed and feel badly let down. There’s a severe decline of residents’ mental and physical health. The police are involved with our three ward councillors and Clive Betts MP.

“That’s been very welcome, however poor planning restrictions were applied to the initial application.

“We are ordinary people whose lives have been ruined. All we want to do is to get to sleep at night and enjoy being in our gardens and homes.

“If this is allowed to continue or get worse, parts of this area will become uninhabitable. No one can live next to a noisy smelly 24 hour operation, Carley Drive was never designed for that.”

Coun Mazher Iqbal, Executive member for development, said he would meet with residents, councillors, officers and Mr Betts.

“My first response was I’m upset and angry, it’s horrendous what you’re having to go through.

“The noise and the hours are just not acceptable, it’s unfair for residents having to put up with this. Enforcement officers are looking at taking action and this is top of my agenda.”

Abbey Glen is a ‘good neighbour’

An Abbey Glen spokesman said: “We have been falsely accused by a very small minority of various things since we began operations at Carley Drive.

“We are actively participating with an ongoing Sheffield Council process regarding noise reduction where we have spent significant funds on implementing all recommendations made to date.

“This process is ongoing and until it is concluded there is nothing further we can comment upon or add.

“We have and are trying to be a good neighbour and have brought much needed employment and investment to the area, with significant numbers of local people now employed with us.”