Petition launched after council force musician to move out for “practising at home”

nme.com:

online petition has been launched after a professional musician was forced to leave her London home due to noise complaints for practising her instrument.Fiona Fey — a member of classical choir Mediaeval Baebes — received a letter from the Lewisham Council following a string of complaints from one of her neighbours.The form in question was a noise abatement notice, which prohibited her from playing any instruments in her home.

It also threatened that the council could force entry into her property, confiscate her instruments and issue a fine of up to £5,000 if she was heard practising.According to the BBC, the notice came despite her reaching a compromise with her neighbour, where Fey agreed to “stop playing almost all of [her] instruments other than a guitar and a low whistle that is the same volume as a vacuum cleaner”.She also recalled contacting the council to question whether she was breaking any laws by practising her instruments at home — to which she was reportedly told: “You sound guilty to me or you wouldn’t be calling”.Following the notice being served, Fey decided to move out of her flat and told the BBC: “This has had taken a huge emotional toll and placed an enormous financial strain on me.

I was made to feel self-conscious and anxious every time I played my music.”“I had almost finished recording an album but now I can’t use my recording equipment as it is in a storage unit,” she continued. “I am currently living with friends and I don’t know how I will find a new place to live as there’s nowhere I can afford.”In response to her story, Fey launched a petition online, which seeks to “protect the rights of musicians to practise”.