Noise Management - July 2003

New broom for old guide.

Temple Environmental Consultants has carried out a complete revamp of the local authority noise management guide.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health/Defra guide, in draft form for consultation, has been unveiled at a series of road shows across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  It includes examples of best practice, case histories, and new appendices on emerging issues such as anti social behaviour orders and equipment seizure.

The updated guide has been based on meetings and brainstorming sessions, as well as a questionnaire sent to local authorities.  This established where new guidance was needed since the guide was last produced in 1997.

Graham Parry, of Temple Environmental, told Noise Management:

"Local authorities will be encouraged to pick good practice and procedures from the examples given and tailor them for their own needs.  It should be noted that the consultation process is on-going and the final document will not be published until December or early next year.  This is an opportunity for noise service practitioners to shape the final document and become stakeholders in a living, dynamic document which will not only become much used by the local authority enforcement officers but which will provide them with a more efficient way of providing their services in a transparent way."

The questionnaire used to underpin the guide revealed that many authorities were having problems getting the information they needed.  Provisions of the Data Protection Act were blamed, and organisations considered a 'significant problem' included the police, council tax teams and social services.

The questionnaire also revealed that surprisingly few (just 11%) field officers took regular hearing tests.  The guide notes:

"It may well be the case that very few of the authorities have been challenged as to the hearing capabilities of their enforcement officers and therefore do not see the need for routine hearing tests.  However, standard audiometric testing can be obtained for as little as £25 and may therefore be a sensible precaution against any potential challenges within the courts."

Also confirmed was that only 8% of the responding local authorities had adopted the Noise Act with an additional 25% prepared to adopt the legislation if the mandatory requirement for a 24 hour/seven day noise service was removed.

A third of authorities considered that other Government advice and policies resulted in the creation of noise problems (for instance PPG24 and licensing policies).