Dear Editor: The sound of rapid gunfire and shuddering earth rock our bedroom every morning as we wake for a new day. It is an earth-shattering, deep intense crashing noise, with beeping machinery all around us. No, we are not in Syria in the middle of a civil war. We are in what was once a quiet, charming neighbourhood in West Vancouver, where people re-create lots to fit the house, not build houses to fit the lot.
How can a municipality that is supposedly proud of its natural beauty, its quiet streets, its green appeal, even consider continuing to allow the sort of developments and building that goes on in our once lovely neighbourhoods?
It is utterly shocking and completely devastating to listen to the "mining" equipment, the blasting and the moving of enormous amounts of rock by huge machines, the incredible noise pollution allowed six days a week, which prevents anybody from even leaving a window open, let alone allowing people to sit in their gardens to enjoy the good summer weather.
People choose to live in West Vancouver and pay high taxes for the beautiful views, the verdant landscape and peaceful ambience - not to have it wrenched away by people who often develop enormous houses supposedly for themselves, which curiously go on
the market within a year or two. Such people do not have any concern for their neighbours and the devastating effects of the peace having been totally shattered by years of construction, and rock "mining" to alter the landscape to accommodate the huge houses they want. Surely it should not take two or three years to build a house?
We have lived in what was a quiet little cul-desac for 15 years, and for the past six years have had an untenable amount of noise all around us due to shrieking saws, earth/rock moving equipment, beeping trucks, tons of gravel delivery, rock removal, blasting, hammering, compressors, nail guns, banging wood deliveries and concrete pouring not to mention the fact that we have to wash our cars and windows repeatedly due to the huge amounts of dust created by rock cutting equipment, etc. And it continues.
How can West Vancouver be proud to sell itself as an appealing natural setting for families to live in? Frankly, we have kept our mouths shut for six years, and now it is time to shout! We feel it is a case of "Can you hear me?" or "Are you listening?" It is time to start building houses to fit the lot, not re-creating the lot to fit the house.
Gillian Simpson
West Vancouver
