The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

196 Mayor of London
The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
take out injunctions with the aim of preventing the nuisance.
Neighbourhood and street warden schemes can play a role in reducing
disorderliness, along with more police and police auxiliaries. Scarce
resources and competing priorities mean that police support for local
authority noise services may not always be available at the requested
level. Vehicle noise enforcement is considered in Chapter 4A.
policy 82
The Mayor will urge the Government to ensure that the complexities of
dealing with noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour in metropolitan
areas are fully reflected in allocation of resources for local authority
Environmental Health functions, policing, police auxiliaries,
neighbourhood and street warden schemes and related services.
Education and public awareness
5.9 The National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA)
co-ordinates Noise Action Day in the UK. Many local authorities, along
with schools, mediation services and others take action to promote
messages about noise. In a survey of noise enforcement officers by the
NSCA 7 , many saw better education and informal resolution of noise
disputes as preferable to more prescriptive legislation. It is important to
find forms of public communication which work in a diverse metropolitan
culture. There may be economies of scale in preparing and disseminating
such material at a London level.
policy 83
The Mayor will work with others, subject to resources and consultation, in
developing appropriate forms of education and public communication on
noise, for example where action at the metropolitan level could
complement that at other levels.
Low frequency noise
5.10 There may be more low frequency noise in London than nationally. 8
People complaining about low frequency noise may have difficulty
describing it, perhaps using terms such as ‘feeling the noise’ or ‘pressure
sensations’. 9 People can become more sensitive to it as they become
older. It can be very difficult to detect the source. Sources and solutions
are highly locally specific. It is important that borough responsive noise
services have adequate resources to carry out or commission specialist
work where it is required. 10 Low frequency noise needs to be included in
building up research and information, staffing and training (e.g. Proposals
20 and 21, Policies 87, 89 and 96).
Construction noise from building operations
5.11 Construction site noise is controlled by the London boroughs, and
specifically excluded from the definition of ‘ambient noise’ in the Greater