'Intrusive' cannabis farm noise affecting lives

Neighbours of a Jersey medical cannabis farm have said the site has stopped them from enjoying their homes.

The States of Jersey Complaints Panel upheld a complaint over how the Infrastructure and Environment Department handled residents' complaints about the noise and smells coming from the Northern Leaf farm in St Lawrence.

Roger Nightingale, who lives next to the site, said the noise emitted from the farm was so intrusive it meant he and his partner, Penny Bromley, could not sit in their garden.

Environment minister Steve Luce said the government strongly rejected the panel's findings and had put "a lot of resource" into the issues highlighted. The BBC has approached Northern Leaf for comment.

Mr Nightingale said a low level noise from the farm was aggravating to deal with.

"You can't sit in the garden for a length of time," he said. "There's low-level noise that gives you headaches so you can't have the windows open.

"It's really intrusive and affects your lifestyle."

Ms Bromley said the issues and "horrendous whirring sound" from the farm had forced her to spend more time away from Jersey.

"I can't enjoy my home at all," she said.

The panel said the government had taken too long to deal with complaints from residents.

It also criticised the government's use of an unjust "sniff test" to decide whether cannabis odours from the farm were a problem.

Ms Bromley added that the panel's comments had made complainants like her feel vindicated although she questioned whether it would "make much difference" overall.

"I think the farm's either got to be closed down or the noise has to be stopped," she said.

Deputy Hilary Jeune, chair of the environment, housing and infrastructure scrutiny panel, said the complaints had made it clear the island needed an independent public service ombudsman.

"We have seen the panel uphold the complaints but the government has pushed back on the recommendations," she said.

"The panel doesn't have any power to go further than that."

In response to the panel's findings, chief officer of infrastructure and environment Andy Scate said the government "completely refute the suggestion that the department acted contrary to the law or behaved in a way that was unjust".

Luce said the government had put in "thousands of hours" of work for years to deal with issues from residents' complaints about the farm.

"Unfortunately, we are in a process which becomes protracted and involves appeals, courts and a whole range of things," he said.

"But we have to be fair to both sides."

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