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NOISE CONTROL What is Noise? Noise is unwanted sound and it is very subjective with people reacting to it in different ways. 
What can cause extreme annoyance to one person may hardly be noticed by another......... What you may think is good music, may be an awful racket to your neighbour...... Vacuuming late at night may suit your lifestyle but may awaken the baby in the flat below......... After you leave for work your dog may be barking, and annoying the night shift worker in the house next door.......... Noise can annoy us, irritate us, cause stress, disturb our peace and quiet and affect our sleep. The Pollution Control and Local Government (N.I.) Order 1978 allows the Council's Environmental Health Service to deal with excessive noise disturbance if they think it is causing a nuisance to a person, or people, living nearby. Unfortunately, there is no fixed level of noise which constitutes a noise nuisance. Individual circumstances differ and each case needs to be judged on its merits. In deciding whether noise amounts to a statutory nuisance, the following has to be considered:- - loudness of the noise
- when the noise occurs
- how often the noise occurs
- the effect on the person affected by the noise
- the likely reaction of the average reasonable person to the noise
Where the Council is satisfied that a noise nuisance exists, it can serve a Noise Abatement Notice on the person responsible for making the noise, to require them to reduce the noise. Non-compliance with the notice can mean legal proceedings in the Magistrates Court. Please click to download Stop the Noise Leaflet. Further information can be found on the following topics: |
