My name is Darren Hasson-Davis. I am a professional drummer based in Iffley, Oxford. I have been teaching drums for 12 years, at home, at local schools and at Oxford Brookes University. I currently teach 50 students from a sound-proofed garden building at home. I teach 10 hours a week (spreading over four days, between 11am-7pm), only 32 weeks a year. The noise level is totally reasonable as I use electric kits and headphones. My immediate next door neighbour said he can “hardly hear it”.
However, two neighbours have been adamant to stop me teaching here. I tried working with them and invested lots of money on soundproofing and electronic equipment but they refuse to negotiate, with anything. The Planning Office at Oxford City Council has given me a letter as a result of these complaints. In the letter, they ordered me to stop all my teaching activity at home giving less than two weeks notice, which takes it to Christmas Eve 2011! The Planning Office advised against me applying for “correct use” permission because they will not support my application anyway, due to neighbour’s complaints. More details of this story can be found here:
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9428338.Tutor_told_to_stop_drumming_classes/?ref=mc
And here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-16231842
If you believe that kids deserve to learn a life long skills, that I deserve to continue doing this for the music community and alike, that people shouldn’t be forced out of their job and home, please sign the petition below.