The statistics were produced by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, who surveyed 348 local authorities from across England and Wales. The number of formal noise complaints made dropped from 6,799 to 6,209 whilst the actual number of incidents reported about dropped from 4,904 to 4,703.
Overall noise complaints are down across the board, falling from just under 195,000 to just over 145,000. Construction complaints made up just over 4% of all complaints which is up from 3% last year, whilst residential complaints or ‘noisy neighbours’ made up the biggest percentage with 64% of all complaints. Interestingly, the statistics also revealed that, rather than Local Authorities issuing abatement notices, the amount of complaints that were resolved ‘informally’ doubled, up from 371 to 607.
Peter Wilson from Echo Barrier said of the statistics: “It is promising that the number of noise complaints regarding construction noise and activity is down; this proves that noise reduction solutions are being made integral when it comes to specifying a project and managing the site.
Clearly the messages that we are working so hard to get across to businesses in the sector are starting to be understood and listened to. Noise mitigation doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming, it can help extend working hours, ensure a project is finished on time and importantly, it can improve the reputation of the managing company and build a relationship with the local public.”
Echo Barrier offers high tech, market leading solutions for controlling excessive noise. Their systems make noise management simple, fast and highly effective. Barriers are flexible, provide exceptional acoustic performance, are easy to store, transport and fit. They were recently recognised by the Noise Abatement Society and have also been shortlisted for a London Construction award. For more information about Echo Barrier visit www.echobarrier.co.uk
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