It seems a pity they are supposed to be shut down for so long. Surely the workmen could wear ear protectors if the noise the bongs make them a problem.
I'm sure they thought of that and deemed it not sufficient, especially if it is desirable for the workmen to be able to talk to each other.
I'd put money on them having had interminable meetings, reports, discussions and memos about how they could minimise the bong loss. If you think they said "bugger the public and what they want, we'll just shut everything down because it is easiest", you are almost certainly wrong.