Noise complaints

The request was partially successful.

Dear Haringey Borough Council,

Please provide me with:

1. A copy of the council's procedure(s)/policies for dealing with Vexatious and/or Frivolous noise complaints

2. A copy of council's procedure(s)/policies for dealing with noise complaints that are deemed to relate to ordinary domestic noise. This would include standard template words for contacting complainants where the noise is not deemed to have been a statutory nuisance, and guidelines for investigating officers in how to determine whether noise is ordinary domestic noise or whether it is a statutory nuisance

3. The number of noise complaints that have been made over the past 4 years that have been deemed to be vexatious

4. The number of noise complaints that have been made over the past 4 years that have been deemed to be frivolous

5. The number of times over the past 4 years that complainants have been contacted and advised that the noise they are reporting does not contribute a statutory nuisance

Yours faithfully,

J Patrick

Haringey Borough Council

Dear Mr Patrick

 

Freedom of Information / Environmental Information Regulations Request:
LBH/7559218

 

I acknowledge your request for information received on 25 June 2018.

 

This information request will be dealt with in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 / Environmental Information Regulations and we
will send the response by 23 July 2018

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Feedback and Information Governance

 

Shared Service Centre | Central Team

Haringey Council 

Alexandra House, 10 Station Road, Wood Green, London N22 7TR

 

www.haringey.gov.uk

twitter@haringeycouncil

facebook.com/haringeycouncil

 

 

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Shipp David, Haringey Borough Council

1 Attachment

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr Patrick,

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request ref: LBH/7559218

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 25 June 2018, in
which you asked for the following information: I have responded to your
questions below the questions.

 

1.       A copy of the council's procedure(s)/policies for dealing with
Vexatious and/or Frivolous noise complaints,

 

In relation to this point, we don’t have a policy for vexatious / or
frivolous complaints. I have attached our policy for managing unreasonable
customers. Please see the attached.

 

2.       A copy of council's procedure(s)/policies for dealing with noise
complaints that are deemed to relate to ordinary domestic noise. This
would include standard template words for contacting complainants where
the noise is not deemed to have been a statutory nuisance, and guidelines
for investigating officers in how to determine whether noise is ordinary
domestic noise or whether it is a statutory nuisance.

 

There is no definitive written procedure with regards to investigating
domestic noise, which can amount to a nuisance. Currently all complaints
are recorded and officers will interview complainants over the telephone
in detail or visit them in real time to subjectively assess the noise when
it is occurring.  It will be down to the competent officer to make their
own judgement at the time and document the reasoning as to why they came
to their decision. The officer would rely on case law, technical knowledge
as well as experience.

 

 

3.       The number of noise complaints that have been made over the past
4 years that have been deemed to be vexatious.

 

We do not hold this information.

 

 

4.       The number of noise complaints that have been made over the past
4 years that have been deemed to be frivolous

 

We do not hold this information.

 

5.       The number of times over the past 4 years that complainants have
been contacted and advised that the noise they are reporting does not
contribute a statutory nuisance.

 

In relation to this - we have contacted, visited assessed and deemed that
noise is not a nuisance in the following amount of occasions as below.

 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Total
1,390 2,675 2,337 2,028 617 9,047

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are unhappy with how we have responded to your request you can ask
us to conduct an Internal Review. If so, please contact the [1]Feedback
and Information Team. (Please note you should do so within two months of
this response.)

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David Shipp

Enforcement Manager West

Environment and Neighbourhoods

Haringey Council

 

T. 020 8489 5639

M. 07811 224 411

E. [2][email address]

 

[3]www.haringey.gov.uk

[4]twitter@haringeycouncil

[5]facebook.com/haringeycouncil

 

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

 

 

 

 

 

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be
subject to legal privilege and are intended only for the person(s) or
organisation(s) to whom this email is addressed. Any unauthorised use,
retention, distribution, copying or disclosure is strictly prohibited. If
you have received this email in error, please notify the system
administrator at Haringey Council immediately and delete this e-mail from
your system. Although this e-mail and any attachments are believed to be
free of any virus or other defect which might affect any computer or
system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility
of the recipient to ensure they are virus free and no responsibility is
accepted for any loss or damage from receipt or use thereof. All
communications sent to or from external third party organisations may be
subject to recording and/or monitoring in accordance with relevant
legislation.

References

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