WHILE it is ironic that Worcestershire Royal Hospital is causing neighbouring residents to suffer from ‘stress and headaches’, the impact of the rooftop air con units is no laughing matter.

Residents say the noise from the units, and the glare of the sun reflected on the side, is causing their health to suffer. The noise keeps them awake and causes headaches, while the glare is described as ‘blinding’ and forces some to close their curtains or blinds.

You could argue that they should know that living near a hospital comes with some inconveniences – ambulance sirens at all times of day, heavy traffic, etc – but surely there’s a way to avoid air con units being quite so disruptive.

Can the sound they make not be muffled? The hospital trust says workmen will use special paint to prevent the glare issue, but shouldn’t that have been done when the unit was installed, not after complaints? And that’s the key, these kinds of concerns over disturbance to neighbouring residents would have been picked up earlier had a full planning application been submitted before installation, not after.