Polly Arrowsmith, 57, who works in marketing, is also firmly in this camp. “I love the sound of London; it makes me feel alive, and there is a certain buzz about it.” She previously lived opposite Barnard Park in Islington, which is regularly hired out by fairs playing loud music, TV production crews and for “EID prayers, that use loudspeakers as hundreds of people join, starting from 8am”. There were also people riding motorcycles, packed summer BBQs, two adventure playgrounds, children’s football matches and air ambulances landing on the large grassy area. “Many neighbours complained about sound travel and wrote to the local paper. I always wrote [back] with the counterargument that I bought the house knowing it would be noisy at times, and that the road was busy. I was perfectly OK with the noise, and I loved that the park was used regularly by so many people and so full of life.”