commercial noise

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Commercial Noise

The Environmental Health Pollution Control Team investigates noise problems from various sources when people make a complaint.  They also work closely with the Development Control Team to assess potential noise problems through the planning process. 

Construction and Industrial

The vast majority of complaints in this area relate to construction and demolition sites. The council works closely with construction companies and contractors to minimise disturbance from such sites. Certain processes will involve various noisy activities such as piling, drilling, demolition and vehicle movement.

The council advice for demolition and construction work [MS Word 24kb] is that construction work be kept to reasonable hours (depending on the specifics of the project).  These hours are:

Monday - Friday 7am - 7pm  (for noisy work 8am - 6pm)
Saturday 8am - 1pm  (for noisy work 9am - 1pm)
Sunday and Bank Holidays  - no works

Pubs and night-clubs

Due to the close proximity of many night-time establishments (pubs, night-clubs etc) with residential dwellings in the central area of Brighton & Hove the level of noise can often be a cause of nuisance to local residents. Reasons for this vary from simple factors such as doors and windows being left open to more complex issues relating to the internal music system and the design of the building.

Brighton & Hove City Council works very closely with night-club and pub owners to ensure that such problems are minimised.

Noise from outdoor events

Each year in Brighton & Hove there are number of live outdoor events like Party in the Park and Pride. If noise levels at these events are left unchecked throughout the day great distress can be caused to local residents. During these events, the council liases with the organisers and promoters to ensure that codes of practice and guidance relating to noise from outdoor events is adhered to.

Other noise

Other noise sources, which can often be problematic, include noise from air conditioning units, extractor fans, generators, motors and refrigeration units. These units often run at night when the background noise level is considerable lower and people and trying to sleep and can cause a disturbance for some residents.