Request to silence town clock at night rejected

Plans to silence a town clock overnight have been rejected after councillors said the chimes were part of the "character" of the area.

The owners of a hotel in Machynlleth, Powys, have had their proposal to silence the town clock between midnight and 07:00 BST turned down by the town council, which recently spent £55,000 to restore the 150-year-old clock.

Huw Morgan, co-owner of the Wynnstay Hotel, said he had received regular complaints about the clock which chimes every fifteen minutes, adding he was unsatisfied by how the council had dealt with the concerns.

The town council declined to comment.

Mr Morgan said the hotel had to move guests to other rooms due to complaints, adding he believed it was a "reasonable request" that the chiming be stopped during limited nighttime hours.

"The clock is so important to the town, a tourist attraction, and as a local I love the clock, but I do believe it is a reasonable request to ask for the clock to be silenced during the night," he said.

"My feeling is that the council didnt give this issue the discussion or attention that it needed."

Time had stood still in Machynlleth for years until essential restoration work was completed by the town council last year to mark 150 years since the clock was built.

Mr Morgan, who has been running the hotel with his partner Gail Jenkins for the past 18 months, will now have to wait six months before he is able to submit another proposal to the council.

"Moving forward, weve got several options including collecting the opinion of people and businesses near the clock," he said.

"However, from a legal point, the noise pollution laws are usually used by residents rather than businesses so that is an issue for us."

Town council minutes indicate the concerns were discussed in a meeting at the end of July, during which councillors said the clocks chiming was part of the "character of the town".

One local resident said it was "just background noise".

"I dont really notice it and filter it out, but I do appreciate that maybe for people who are staying here and who are not used to it that it might stand out," they said.

One visitor who has visited the town for the past 16 years with her family said she had only just realised the clock was working again.

"I have noticed that its [chiming] more often, but its not too often. But we wouldnt usually notice at night as we stay just outside of town," she said.

Meanwhile, a property owner in the town said he had never received a complaint from his tenants.

"Ive got eight flats facing the clock tower and no-one complains, its part of the town. But you cant please everyone can you," he said.

Over the years, there have been several campaigns by the local community to preserve and restore the town clock.

It was the people of Machynlleth who originally raised the money to build the landmark with the foundation stone laid in 1874 to celebrate the coming of age of the eldest son of the Fifth Marquess of Londonderry, who lived at Y Plas in the town.

Machynlleth Town Council declined to make any further comments on the issue.