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UK environmental noise

July 2018 Issue 124  headlines

Airbnb noise tested at appeal

Noise features highly in an appeal decision on use of a private flat for short term Airbnb-type rentals.

Heathrow go ahead

Last month’s go ahead for a third runway at Heathrow and more recent  overwhelming Parliamentary approval has led to a flurry of legal threats to the decision (more details in our extended feature this month).

Class-action lawyers take aim at incinerator

Lawyers are threatening group litigation against Viridor’s Runcorn Incinerator for noise and odour nuisance.
Doug Fraser, of Silverman Livermore solicitors is gathering support for the claim and already has 153 households each with household insurance which can fund the claim.

Expert judgment overturned

A Magistrates Court has overturned a noise abatement notice served against a one-off party.

Sealed units okay in Birmingham

A huge city centre residential development near noisy nightclubs is set to be approved due to economic benefits.

Abatement notice policy not clear

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has criticised a council for failing to have an effective noise nuisance policy.

Builders’ guide

The Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) has produced a 12-page guide to acoustics for housebuilding professionals to give an overview of the most common acoustic requirements and considerations that affect new residential developments,

ANC helm switch

Dan Saunders (pictured) of Clarke Saunders has taken over as chair of the Association of Noise Consultants from Jack Harvie-Clarke of Apex Acoustics.

News from the Association of Noise consultants conference

Veiled threat to consultants

90% of noise reports supporting industrial permit applications are not fit for purpose, the Environment Agency’s noise lead Tony Clayton told the ANC conference last month.

How noise can impact sleep

Last month’s ANC conference heard how noise can impact sleep – and progress on WHO guidelines.
Public Health England’s noise specialist Ben Fenech updated delegates on the likely update this year of the WHO guidelines. An expert group has been considering an update of environmental noise guidelines last updated in 1999.

Southdowns wins

Consultant Southdowns has won the Association of Noise Consultants’ environmental award at its recent awards dinner.

Acoustics Cup 2018

Vanguardia secured the Campbell Associates-organised Acoustics Cup for the second year in a row.

Bar rejected in Blackpool

Plans to extend a bar in Blackpool have been rejected at appeal due to the noise impact on a neighbouring hotel.

Up to date numbers for statutory nuisance

Churchill Insurance has asked every local authority in the UK how many statutory nuisance complaints they receive.

Welsh noise disturbance laid bare

24% of the Welsh population are bothered by noise, an official survey suggests.

Buck passed

The shadow cabinet office minister asked whether the environment department had made an assessment of the effectiveness of local authorities in reducing incidents of noise pollution.

No commissioner yet

The continued delays to the appointment of a noise tsar have been raised in Parliament.

Bird fine

A Tendring resident has been fined £4,000 for failing to comply with an abatement notice to curb noise from his large collection of birds kept in a small garden of a terraced house.

‘Fishing exercise’ dismissed

The UK High Court has ruled against objectors to an Irish wind turbines. Objectors are mounting a huge challenge to a re-powered Waterford wind farm and attempted to use the London High Court to force the operator to release design documents. Defendant ESB said the exercise was a ‘fishing’ exercise and all claims were dismissed.

Hockey impact noise condition removed

Councillors have removed a peak condition designed to protection residents from excessive impact noise from a new hockey pitch.

Cruise injunctions

North Warwickshire has succeeded in obtaining a broad-based injunction against car cruising.

Norfolk fine

North Norfolk District Council has successfully brought a prosecution against a nuisance neighbour who breached a noise-abatement notice.