Riccarton to control noise from street

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 9

Riccarton to control noise from street

The Riccarton Borough Council’s noise control officer will not enter properties where noisy parties are being held, irrespective of whether a police escort is available.

In a report to the council’s finance and by-laws committee last evening, the borough health inspector, Mr W. Heney, said he considered the risk of entering properties to be both excessive and unjustifiable. Dealing with a complaint about excessive noise at a late night party of drinkers Erovided a real risk of veral and physical abuse. Mr Heney said he was not convinced that the presence of a policeman would be an absolute < guarantee of safety. There was also confusion about many of the legal aspects of the Noise Control Act, which came into force in June, especially regarding the powers of entry of noise control officers and the degree of police involvement, he said. In an outline of the way he proposed to deal with noise complaints, Mr Heney said he would take down the details and if necessary, investigate the complaint

either from the roadside or the complainant’s house. If it was necessary, the complaint would be referred to the police. Even if there was a police escort, Mr Heney said he would not enter private property when a noisy party was being held because it was too risky. If immediate action was not needed, Mr Heney said he would follow the complaint up on the next working day. The committee accepted Mr Heney’s proposal, although the Mayor of Riccarton, Mr R. W. J. Harrington, said he could not see the point of appointing a noise officer if it would be the police who were taking the action.

However, the meeting was told that Mr Heney’s proposal was in line with a code of practice for dealing with the Noise Control Act which had been drawn up jointly by local authority employer and union groups. The meeting decided not to make a special appointment for noise control officer and that the borough’s health inspector would be deemed to be the officer.