Tag: noise

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Northern Ireland Noise Complaints

Source: Belfast Live

Car alarms, snoring and dentists’ drills are the noises that most annoy us, a survey by Specsavers has revealed.

Whereas hearing our favourite sounds, such as music, birdsong and waves crashing on the shore, is one of life’s greatest pleasures say 89% of people locally.

The research also reveals how much our hearing means to us – 84% of people in Northern Ireland say losing it would seriously affect our enjoyment of life, while almost three-quarters (73%) fear losing our hearing as we get older.

The study shows that it is the simple things in life that we appreciate hearing the most. Almost half of people locally (49%) say that their most loved sound is their favourite music, closely followed by birdsong (39%) and waves crashing on the shore (32%). Almost a third of people also enjoy listening to a crackling fire (30%) and a baby chuckling (27%).

Sound also plays a big role in our day-to-day feelings and emotions – 97% of Northern Ireland folk say that hearing a sound we like puts us in a good mood, while conversely 51% of people say that they can’t enjoy themselves if they are hearing a noise they find irritating.

As well as car alarms that won’t turn off, other annoying noises include nails down a blackboard, music we hate and drilling.

Specsavers Belfast audiology director Conor Fitzpatrick said: “As our research shows, hearing plays such an important role in our lives – we get pleasure in hearing the sounds we love and it enables us to communicate with friends and family – so we shouldn’t take it for granted – something which 62% of people in Northern Ireland think is easily done.

“That is why it is so important we do all we can to protect our hearing, yet on average it takes someone 10 years to get their hearing checked. You should seek the advice of an audiologist as soon as you notice any changes, such as conversation becoming more muffled, or if you notice the volume on the TV is starting to creep up.

“If you have been affected by Covid-19 you may also have experienced changes to your hearing, such as deterioration or tinnitus. While hearing loss cannot be reversed there are lots of things which can be done to help, so if you notice any changes at all, make sure you book an appointment to see your audiologist.”

With recent research from the University of Manchester showing that hearing loss can be one of the after-affects of Covid-19, Specsavers is keen to ensure we do all that we can to protect one of our most precious senses.

To read the article, click here.

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Noise complaints Maynooth

Noise from parties a constant problem in Maynooth estates – Kildare court told.

Noise from parties a constant problem in Maynooth estates - Kildare court told

Noise from house parties is a constant problem in estates in Maynooth, gardai told Kilcock District Court on March 5 during a hearing into a noise related incident in the town.

Garda Sergeant Jim Kelly told Judge Desmond Zaidan that noise from houses is an environmental issue and should be reported to the county council.

Asked by the judge what the gardai did when they were called out, Sgt Kelly said they asked people politely to turn the music down.

“It is a constant problem in Maynooth,” he said.

Sgt Kelly was commenting just before Judge Zaidan applied the Probation Act in the case of a 46-year-old Maynooth man, who was prosecuted following threats over noise levels at a house next door.

Justin O’Keefe, 23 Greenfield Drive, Maynooth, had been charged with threatening to damage property at 22 Greenfield Drive on the Sunday evening of November 26 2017.

Last October, the court heard that Mr O’Keefe, who has young children, sought to have noise reduced at a rented house next door to him and lost his temper with the tenants, threatening to do damage.

However, he did not follow through on his threat.

Mr O’Keefe had called the gardai previously in relation to the noise. The court heard Mr O’Keefe could bring a case in the District Court under Section 108 of the Environment Protection Act but that gardai could not force people to turn down music at 1am in the morning.

Judge Zaidan said Mr O’Keefe was “pushed to extremes.”

On March 5, David Powderly, solicitor for Mr O’Keefe said neither the landlord nor the tenants wanted to get involved in a restorative justice process.

The judge applied the Probation

 

Source: Leinster Leader, to read the article, click here.

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Ruling against noisy nightclub upheld on appeal, penalties reduced

A Divisional Court judge has taken some of the sting out of a ruling against a downtown nightclub that keeps its neighbours up at night, but it’s a blow nonetheless, says a lawyer retained by the bar.

The numbered company that runs Lev3L Vodka Emporium, commonly referred to as Level 3, must still pay neighbour Richard Gordner the maximum allowed in small claims court for being a “nuisance.” But, on appeal, the court has reduced the additional penalties originally assessed against the bar for its “unreasonable behaviour” during the trial.

The decision is troubling, not only to Level 3, but to the entire entertainment industry in Windsor, and is potentially harmful to the economy of downtown Windsor

Gordner, a lawyer who lives in the high-rise condominium building called Royal Windsor Terrace at Park and Pelissier streets, sued Level 3 in small claims court for the bass-thumping music that keeps him up on weekend nights. In a ruling earlier this year, deputy judge Simon R. R. Davies awarded Gordner $25,000 — the maximum allowed in small claims cases.

LEV3L bar at The City Grill is located directly beside Royal Windsor Terrace condos on Park Street West. The bar has lost an appeal of a noise complaint brought by a neighbour.NICK BRANCACCIO / WINDSOR STAR

Noting the seven-day trial stretched over 12 months to accommodate the busy schedule of Level 3’s lawyer and that the bar refused to make any concessions which may have shortened the trial or avoided it altogether, Davies imposed $10,000 in additional penalties on top of $1,000 in costs.

Level 3 appealed the award. In a decision released last week, Divisional Court Justice Russell Raikes upheld the $25,000 award, but struck down the penalties. But the bar, which continued to argue the music Gordner was hearing did not originate from its premises, must still pay the $4,800 bill for a sound engineering company Gordner retained to prove otherwise.

Contacted Monday, Gordner said the appeal court awarded him everything he had been seeking. The original judge who heard the trial imposed the additional penalties without Gordner ever asking for them.