METAL worker Adrian Fincham is telling residents he wants to be an asset to their village, and will not disrupt their peaceful community.Families tried to stop him moving his business – which he began after he was made redundant – to Trimley St Mary because they fear it will be too noisy.

By Richard Cornwell

METAL worker Adrian Fincham is telling residents he wants to be an asset to their village, and will not disrupt their peaceful community.

Families tried to stop him moving his business – which he began after he was made redundant – to Trimley St Mary because they fear it will be too noisy.

But Mr Fincham, who has been granted permission by councillors to use the old station yard, has a reassuring message for people: "You will not hear me".

He told the Evening Star: "I want to be an asset to Trimley, not a hindrance.

"I am a one-man band, just working on my own, trying to earn enough money to feed my wife and children and live on.

"I will do all my work inside the building on the site, and none of it outside. I will also comply with any measures the environmental health people say must be done. I am being made out to be some kind of villain. But my work is not noisy and I do not use grinders and hammer machines – people will not hear me."

Mr Fincham is faced with moving his business, which he has been running from a workshop at his home in School Lane, Martlesham, because of a neighbour's complaint to the council.

"There has never been a problem with noise and the council people came round to check and do readings. The reason I have to move is that I cannot run a business from home in a residential area," he said.

But like many small businesses getting off the ground, he has faced dreadful difficulty in finding suitable small premises which he can afford.

"The last place I looked at wanted £5,000 a year rent plus thousands in rates on top of that. It is such a struggle," he said.

Mr Fincham, who did his apprenticeship with a company at Leiston and later worked for BT before being made redundant, makes metal garden furniture, railings, seats and weather vanes.

Trimley St Mary parish councillors objected to the business being moved to the station yard, previously used as a builders' yard and tool hire depot, because of worries over noise.

But Suffolk Coastal councillors felt the metal workshop, plus use of the yard for storing caravans, was acceptable and would revitalise the area.

Deborah Robinson, director of environmental services, is to examine the application to ensure sufficient conditions can be imposed to soundproof the building and ensure there is no noise problem.

Weblink: www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk