Noise pollution, odour and other nuisances

Construction activates on building sites involve heavy machinery and works which can cause a nuisance. You should find ways to minimise noise, vibration and pollution during construction works.

Types of building site nuisances

Some common types of building site nuisances include:

• vibration
• dust and smoke
• light pollution
• noise pollution
• large vehicle movements
• unplanned road and pavement closures

When can construction machinery be operated?

Building, demolition and excavation machinery can operate between:

• 7am and 7pm from Monday to Friday
• 8am and 1pm on Saturdays

Local council control of construction nuisances

If your building site activities cause a nuisance, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice.

Your construction site could face restrictions on the:

• type of plant or machinery you use and the activities you can undertake
• hours when you can work
• levels of noise, artificial lighting or dust

If you do not comply with these restrictions the council can stop your construction operations and you could also be fined.

If you are planning construction work and know that it is likely to cause a nuisance, you can apply for prior consent from your local council.

Your local council will outline restrictions on possible construction nuisances before the work starts. You can apply for this consent at the same time as seeking approval under building regulations. This may save you time later on.

Join a construction best practice scheme

You can apply for best practice accreditation such as the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). This can help you to put procedures in place in your company or on individual construction sites to limit nuisances.

You can find out more about the CCS Code of Considerate Practice.