Residents experiencing ‘extremely high bass levels’ from Freight Brixton ahead of the venue’s official opening
Residents living in Miles Square and Brixton Square have contacted Brixton Buzz to tell us about the serious noise pollution issues they are suffering from Freight Brixton, which officially opens …
Black News 
Residents living in Miles Square and Brixton Square have contacted Brixton Buzz to tell us about the serious noise pollution issues they are suffering from Freight Brixton, which officially opens in May 2026.
They told us:
Freight Island’s official opening is scheduled for May; however, they have already been hosting several private events, presumably to market the venue and test their audience.
These ad‑hoc gatherings have repeatedly produced unacceptable levels of musical noise, largely due to the open rooftop design with no noise‑mitigation measures, poorly controlled bass levels, and an over‑amplified host/MC.
Freight Brixton has provided residents with a Resident Advisor mobile number intended to help manage noise issues.
Unfortunately, this system has proven ineffective, as the individual answering can only relay messages to the on‑site manager and lacks both the authority and the ability to make immediate adjustments.
On 22 March, Freight Brixton hosted another private event. The disturbance began as early as 10:00 AM, when sound engineers started tuning the system by playing loud music to adjust speakers and bass levels ahead of the afternoon’s guest arrivals.
When complaints were submitted to the Resident Advisor in the early evening , they acknowledged that the venue had not received the correct sound system. Combined with the metallic supporting structure for the speakers, this resulted in excessive and uncontrolled vibrations, but they couldn’t do anything about it.
Several neighbours attempted to contact Lambeth’s noise‑complaint service, but without success. Lambeth staff informed residents that their operating hours had recently changed, meaning they are no longer able to dispatch officers on Thursdays or Sundays to assess noise levels. Instead, residents were directed to submit online forms, which many of us did.
As the event progressed, the noise levels increased further, and the host repeatedly shouted into the microphone to energise the crowd. Although the private event was scheduled to finish at 22:00, it did not end until 23:30.
At this stage, it remains unclear whether Freight Brixton has a licence to operate before their official opening. If these ad‑hoc private events are being held under special authorisations, it appears that Lambeth Council has no effective means of enforcing compliance with noise limits.
Furthermore, with no officers available on Thursdays and Sundays, Freight Island is effectively able to exceed the limits set in their planning permission without oversight.
