New: We need your views on City noise issues
Draft City of London Noise Strategy - Public Consultation (until
31st March 2012)
We would like your views
on the draft City of London Noise Strategy (below); which noise
issues and problems should it focus on and how these should be
addressed; in particular:
- Do you think the noise problems and issues identified in the
draft strategy are the right ones and are there any omissions?
- Do you have any comments on the proposed policies and actions
to address the noise issues identified?
- Do you have additional ideas to reduce noise problems?
- Do you or your organisation already have noise management
solutions in place that you think could be used more widely?
- Do you think the strategy strikes the right balance between
minimising noise and the need to improve and maintain the City's
infrastructure and services?
Download the Draft City of London Noise
Strategy (1.07mb)
Please return your comments on the strategy by 31st March
2012 so we can use your feedback to prepare the final document
for City Corporation approval. Comments should be e-mailed to
tony.bride@cityoflondon.gov.uk
or posted to:
Tony Bride, Pollution
Team Manager,
Markets and Consumer
Protection Department,
City of London
Guildhall
P.O. Box 270
London EC2P 2EJ
Pollution Control
This is a specialist
team of environmental health officers, scientific and technical
officers who are responsible for enforcing standards and offering
advice to businesses and the public on a wide range of
environmental pollution issues. These include:-
- noise (particularly relating to construction works);
- air pollution (including roadside, real-time monitoring);
- contaminated land;
- water quality (drinking water and swimming baths); and
- drainage testing and approval on new buildings (a quality
assured service on behalf of the Corporation's Technical Services
Department).
Complaints of nuisance and general public health problems are
dealt with by the Team through inspection, advice and the service
of Abatement Notices where necessary. Any Abatement Notices making
requirements as to the prohibition of, or of recurrence of,
nuisances are monitored for compliance and appropriate action is
taken to enforce those requirements and bring breaches of these
notices to legal proceedings. The provisions of the Clean Air Act
1993 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are administered in
relation to the control of smoke and nuisance, the regulation of
chimney heights and the Authorisation of scheduled processes.
Air quality management
The management of local air quality in the City is undertaken
through air pollution monitoring and the on-going review and
assessment of data against the objectives of the United Kingdom
National Air Quality Strategy, as required by the Environment Act
1995. Information on air quality is provided to the public via the
Corporation website and through public committee papers and
personal contacts for information.
There are a wide variety of air quality monitors in the City,
giving data on continuous and periodic bases, according to type,
and covering all the pollutants (except 1, 3- butadiene) included
in the National Air Quality Objectives. Further reviews and
assessments of local air quality in the City of London are also
being undertaken.
The Corporation is a member of the Central London Cluster Group
of the London Air Quality Network, and through this partnership is
participating in various air quality and pollution based projects
to co-ordinate pollution study work in Central London.
The Corporation has undertaken a staged review and assessment of
air quality in the City from September 1998 onwards and the
documents are available to download below.
Download Air Quality Review Stage 1 and 2
(240kb)
Download Air Quality Review Stage 3 (245kb)
Download Air Quality Review Stage 3a (352kb)
Download Air Quality Review Stage 4 (2mb)
As a result of the review and assessment process the whole of
the City was declared an Air Quality Management Area for nitrogen
dioxide and fine particles (PM10) on 26 January 2001 for the whole
of the City and the subsequent Action Plan, also available below
sets out specific actions to reduce levels of the two main
pollutants which affect the City; Nitrogen Dioxide and
Particulates. These actions and the plan will be assessed as to
their efficacy and to consider any further actions/improvements
each subsequent year from now on.
Download the Air Quality Action
Plan (759kb)
Vehicle Emission Testing
Download details of the Vehicle Emissions Testing
Scheme (11.7kb)
Noise
Complaints about noise are investigated, advice is given on
control measures and Abatement Notices served where necessary. The
provisions of the Noise Act 1996 have been adopted to assist in the
control of night-time noise from domestic premises. The Department
participates in the regular liaison meetings with Statutory
Undertakers, which include noise considerations of streetworks, and
also seeks to establish early contact with all demolition and
construction projects in the City to forestall problems of noise,
dust emission and any other problem arising from such activity and
has produced a Code of Practice for Deconstruction &
Construction Sites.
Download the Code of Practice for Deconstruction
and Construction (2011 Edition) (963kb)
An Out-of-Hours service is provided to deal with those urgent
complaints arising outside normal office hours. An officer is
either present in the City or on-call and contactable at all such
times through the Guildhall switchboard. The Department liaises
with other Corporation departments such as Planning and Technical
Services, regarding control and monitoring of development within
the City.
Water Quality
The quality of both private and public water supplies and
swimming bath water is monitored and any necessary remedial action
is taken. The Corporation participates in the London-Wide Drinking
Water Survey, which monitors the public supplies on a monthly
basis. Two sampling sessions per year are subjected to a full
analysis of over one hundred different parameters of water quality.
Other monthly samples are analysed for fewer parameters, but
included are all those critical to water quality.
Private Rented Accommodation
The quality of private rented housing, including hostels and
houses in multiple occupation is monitored and complaints
investigated and appropriate actions are taken where sub-standard
accommodation is found. A
registration scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation is
available and the current register can be seen below.
Download the
register here (76kb)
For further information or to report a complaint or problem
email publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk
or telephone 020 7332 3630
More information about Pollution Control