Noise is an inevitable consequence of a modern and vibrant society. For some, the noise of modern life provides excitement and exhilaration, but for others noise is an unwanted intrusion that can impact their quality of life, affecting their health and wellbeing.
There is no right to absolute peace and quiet and everyone needs to be tolerant of the occasional disturbance from noise. Both sides must be reasonable and tolerate some noise from their neighbours and local businesses.
The local authority has no legal powers to deal with low level and occasional noise disturbances.
Noise policy
Our policy sets out how we will manage and investigate noise complaints within the borough, working in partnership with colleagues and external agencies including the relevant noise legislation:
We can investigate:
- barking dogs
- persistent sounding alarms
- noise from building work and construction work outside recommended guideline hours
- regular DIY noise that happens at unreasonable times of the day or night
- loud music and parties
- noise from pubs and clubs
- noise from commercial premises
We cannot investigate:
- anonymous complaints
- road noise
- aircraft noise
We also cannot deal with reasonable everyday sounds, including:
- children playing
- people walking across their floors
- washing machines
- doors banging
- occasional dog barking