Let's be straight about this. There are currently around 50 businesses based in houses within the TLERA area. Some of them you would hardly know were there. Others, such as music teachers, are more visible - or rather audible. I'm not suggesting that anyone should try to close these businesses down by use of the restrictive covenant. What I am saying is: when there are 12 children playing in a garden, well-supervised by qualified adults, during 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon, why is the covenant being used to target this?

I sometimes thing that it would have been helpful if the covenant could have included unattended burglar alarms, car alarms, barking dogs, builders who start work very early in the morning, etc. But we live in London, and that is part of life.

Some people find the noise that chidlren make is a problem. But that's what children do. And if we stopped having children, then we might as well give up on the planet now.