Noise
Noise can be given a variety of definitions but may be considered here as being any unwanted sound. Often accompanied by intrusive vibration, noise may have various effects on people exposed to it, ranging from discomfort and annoyance to various psychological and physical conditions.
People's attitude towards noise depends upon the particular circumstances in each case. The source of the noise, together with other factors such as the duration, loudness and the frequency of the noise events, and in many cases the unpredictable occurrence of the noise determine whether a person makes a formal noise complaint.
Indicator NO1 - Noise complaints received per 1000 population
The graph below shows the number of noise complaints made to each council in Hertfordshire in 2003/4 in terms of its population size:
Noise complaints by District/Borough council
Source: xxxxxx - download and view this data in excel
This year has seen a fall in the average number of complaints recorded across Hertfordshire, continuing the trend over the last couple of years.
Indicator NO2 - Source of complaints
The chart below illustrates the main types of noise complaint made to the ten Hertfordshire local councils in 2003/4.
Sources of noise complaints in Hertfordshire
Source: xxxxxx - download and view this data in excel
Domestic noise continues to be the main category of complaints made to local authorities (74% of complaints received), with commercial operations and construction sites also generating a large number of complaints.
Legislative changes
The following legislation enacted in 2003-2005 is relevant to how authorities deal with noise complaints.
The 'Licensing Act 2003' reforms the existing licensing laws and came into effect on the 24th November 2005. In brief it brings the control of the sale of alcohol, the holding of public entertainment, theatres, cinemas, and provisions of late night refreshments under the control of local authorities. There will no longer be any 'permitted hours' for the sale of alcohol and applicants nominate the times that the activities will take place. The applicant has to outline how they intend to comply with the four licensing objectives; this includes amongst others the prevention of public nuisance. The Environmental Health Department are the Responsible Authority to object to applications regarding nuisance and have been working with local business to try to ensure that the objectives will be met. Time will tell if the Act is effective in controlling the noise and nuisance that entertainments can give rise to. Increased monitoring of noise complaints due to later opening hours may be necessary in future.
The 'Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005' introduces new provisions to deal with noise. These provisions come into force from April 2006 and give local authorities greater powers to address noise nuisance, for example entering a property without the use of force to silence alarms.
Indicator NO3 - Complaints from aircraft noise
The major civil airports of London Luton and London Stansted lie just outside the County's borders. Aircraft noise is therefore an important factor for many Hertfordshire residents' quality of life. Noise from civil aircraft is monitored by the airports themselves. Complaints recorded for the period October 2004 to September 2005 were 627 from London Luton and 3063 from London Stansted (these figures are for total number of complaints to each airport, not just from Hertfordshire residents).
It should be noted however that the number of complaints can be a misleading measure of disturbance from aircraft noise, as many people will not complain about events which they feel they have no way of influencing, while on other occasions campaigns can 'artificially' boost complaint numbers.
The Government (Department for Transport) announced in December 2003 that both London Luton and London Stansted airports should undergo significant expansion. Both airports have already produced proposals for consultation, showing how this expansion could be achieved. The proposals have implications for both the size and number of aircraft flying over Hertfordshire and are likely to result in an increase in levels of aircraft noise.