A professional saxophonist has successfully appealed a ban preventing him from playing his instrument at home in Bradford, overturning the noise notice imposed by the city council. The ban was deemed “counterintuitive” by Bradford Magistrates’ Court, especially during the district’s City of Culture celebrations. David Trevor Wilkinson, the saxophonist in question, had been restricted from practicing his bass saxophone at his property in Idle since January.
Representing Mr. Wilkinson, Phil Morris highlighted that the musician had been practicing at his property without any issues for many years before the noise notice was issued. The appeal to overturn the ban was made in court and succeeded, revealing that the council was not prepared to fight the case. The noise abatement notice was initially served to Mr. Wilkinson after a dispute in May the previous year, limiting his practice time to just an hour and a half within a five-hour period on weekdays.
During the hearing, solicitor Mr. Raja, representing Bradford Council on other matters, admitted that he was not informed about the appeal until moments before it was heard in court. Without the necessary papers and information to oppose the application, Mr. Raja apologized for the oversight caused by his colleague’s absence. However, the magistrates decided to support the appeal and lift the noise abatement notice imposed on Mr. Wilkinson, allowing him to continue playing his saxophone at home without restrictions
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