This advice is intended for all builders, contractors, statutory undertakers, developers, architects, and others who are/will be carrying out works within the Borough of Bournemouth. It deals with the three things most likely to give rise to complaint when carrying out demolition or construction work:
Noise
How to avoid Noise Complaints
Hours of Working
Methods of Working
What the Council will do about Noise Complaints
Bonfires
Avoid Bonfires
Dust
How to Deal with Dust
Mobile Crushing Plant
How to avoid Noise Complaints
Some construction and demolition work is unavoidably noisy but many complaints can be avoided by carrying out work in a considerate manner. The time of day when noisy work is carried out and the methods used can make a big difference.
Hours of Working
Works which are audible at the site boundary shall only be carried out between these times :
Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
Sundays and Public Holidays NOT AT ALL
These hours should be reduced for work within occupied buildings and exceptionally noisy work e.g. pneumatic drilling.
Methods of Working
The law requires you to use the Best Practical Means (BPM) to minimise noise. This means that noise should be taken into account when deciding the method of work and the machinery which is to be used. Guidance on BPM can be found in British Standard 5228 Parts 1,2 & 4 (1997) “Noise and Vibration Control on Construction and Open Sites”.
Care should be taken to ensure that use of non construction equipment (e.g. radios) does not disturb people in the vicinity.
What the Council will do about Noise Complaints
If a complaint is received about noise from a construction or demolition site Pollution Control Officers will visit the complainant and the site to assess the severity of the problem. If the noise is causing a significant disturbance to anyone living or working in the area and the site operator is not using BPM to minimise it, legal action will be taken. The person who appears to be responsible for the site will receive a Notice containing specific requirements about how work should be done on the site.
The law dealing with noise is contained in the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Anyone who does not comply with a Notice issued in accordance with these Acts is liable to a fine following conviction in a Magistrates’ Court.
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Avoid Bonfires
Smoke from bonfires is the commonest cause of complaints about work sites and yet the simplest to avoid.
Bonfires increase levels of air pollution and the smoke causes nuisance to people living and working in the area. Burning of materials such as plastic, rubber or paint not only creates an unpleasant smell but also produces a range of toxic fumes.
In an urban area burning any significant quantity of waste is almost certain to cause a nuisance to people in the vicinity. Waste from construction and demolition sites should not be burned on site but should be disposed of at a licensed Waste Disposal Site.
If Pollution Control Officers find that a bonfire on a work site is causing or appears likely to cause a nuisance to people in the vicinity they will serve a legal Notice on the person responsible in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Notice will require the bonfire to be extinguished or not to be lit. Failure to comply will lead to a fine following conviction in a Magistrates’ Court. Currently the maximum fine is £20,000.
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How to Deal with Dust
Dust from construction activities can be controlled through the use of water sprays and screens. Dust deposits should be kept damp and dusty waste material sprayed before it is loaded into lorries for removal from site. Lorries should be sprayed before they leave the site so that they do not carry dust off the site. Where practicable dusty areas should be screened.
Site operators are required by law to use Best Practical Means (BPM) to minimise nuisance to people in the vicinity from dust. Pollution Control Officers will serve a Notice in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 if there is a nuisance and the operator is not using BPM. The procedure is similar to the procedure for dealing with smoke.
Mobile Crushing Plant
If a Mobile Crusher is used the operator of the machine must be authorised in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and we must receive prior notification of its use. The authorisation is issued by the local authority covering the area in which the machine is based. The Crusher must be operated in accordance with the conditions of the authorisation. Pollution Control Officers will carry out checks on this and failure to comply with the authorisation conditions can lead to prosecution.
Last but not Least
Good public relations will help to minimise complaints about a work site. Efforts should be made to keep local residents and businesses informed about what is happening on the site and when various stages of the works will be complete. People will usually be more tolerant if they know why the work is necessary, when it will start and finish each day and how long it will take.
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