Communities called on to combat noise

Local authorities, schools and housing providers are being urged to get involved in this year’s Noise Action Week, which takes place from May 21-26, writes Caelia Quinault.

Communities across the UK are being urged to work together to combat noise problems in the countdown to Noise Action Week.

From next Monday (May 21) to Friday (May 26), organisations from across the country — from Fife to Thurrock — will be working to raise awareness of noise issues and simple solutions to tackle them.

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According to a survey carried out in 2008, one in six householders said they were bothers by noise from neighbours inside their homes and one in five (20%) said they were bothered from noise outside of their homes. However, with a little thought for neighbours, many noise problems can be prevented — by turning music down or carrying out noisy activity at a sensible time.

The Week is coordinated by Environmental Protection UK, a charity which provides policy analysis and advice on air quality, land quality, waste and noise and their effects on people and communities. The campaign is also supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Mary Stevens, Noise Action Week co-ordinator, said: “We’ve all suffered the effects of thoughtless noise pollution — whether it’s a neighbour’s barking dog or thumping bass, car radios blaring and aggressive driving in residential streets; noise is one of the biggest issues affecting our neighbourhoods and our well-being, and too much noise can damage our health.

“During Noise Action Week EPUK is encouraging communities to consider the impacts of noise in their area and the simple ways we can all contribute to making our neighbourhoods quieter and healthier.”

Initiatives

Initiatives taking place across the country during the Week will include:

• Stafford borough council and Maidstone council are setting up demonstration homes to show people how their noise affects others and how they can reduce it;
• GreenSquare housing young advisors in Chippenham are running fun activities to promote noise awareness;
• Kettering borough council will be distributing beer mats and posters to encourage late night revellers to keep it down;
• North Lincolnshire Council are running a series of workshops teaching school pupils about noise.

Environmental Protection UK stressed that anyone can take part, from housing providers, and local authority noise teams to mediation services, schools, youth groups and individuals.

For more information visit: http://www.noiseactionweek.org.uk/