Fresh plan

THE WAY local authorities deal with neighbour noise is set for a shake-up.

A Scottish Government policy review was launched in May looking at how legislation for handling noise complaints sits under the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 (ASBA).

The first part of the process will be to complete a Call for Evidence which will see councils, housing associations and local residents provide feedback on how the current system is working.

Figures from Audit Scotland, included in the initial review report, show an exponential rise in complaints about neighbour noise in Scotland over the last decade from 9,165 in 2001/02, to a peak of 55,886 in 2010/11, and most recently 43,997 in 2012/13.

The report highlighted the “sharp increase” but stated that was to be expected following the introduction of ASBA in 2005 which saw a fixed penalty notice deterrent brought in for domestic noise offences.

A section read: “A slight decline in the numbers between 2011 and 2013 may indicate the first signs of ASBA in numbers of complaints dropping or levelling off.

“When the regime was first introduced it was well received and local authorities reported that it was working well.”

The Call for Evidence is open until August 25.

North East Fife MSP Roderick Campbell, a member of the Holyrood Justice Committee, said anybody affected by nuisance noise should respond.

He added: “Everyone has the right to live and work in a safe, secure and clean environment.

“It is important that we ensure that individuals receive the best possible response to anti-social behaviour problems.”