Neighbour complaint? - Whats the rule on working hours

[dig dug dan]

been working on my garden. basically removing everything back to soil and starting again. been doing it evenings and sundays.
This sunday i did a couple of hours after lunch, stopped at three to allow people to watch the footy in peace, then started at 6 for about an hour.
Got shouted at by some pillock. said it was illegal to work on a Sunday.
Ignored it, and spoke to all other neighbours who are not bothered, and in fact one has offered to pay half for the fence!
Any way, tonight i had my skip loader going back and forth for about half an hour carting rubble, and the digger ripping up slabs and the odd wooden edging
Got round the front to be confronted by the "idiot"
He asked me how much longer its going on for and why can't i do it during the day. I told him the other neighbours are happy, as i asked them. I said " you didn't ask me", "no, i don't respond to people who shout at me !"

He also said i need building regs!!
I told him to phone the council and he buggered off. the lazy bugger drove to my house . its a 30second walk!
Anyway, out of interest, is there any specific law on working hours? i.e no noise before 7.30 and after 9? who enforces them?

[ambient]

thought it was 8 till 6 monday to saturday
not sure when its your own some councils enforce it after complaints

[Bob_A]

Around here it's 8 to 6 Mon-Fri, 8 to 1pm Sat and no working on a Sunday or a public holiday.
Never heard of it being enforced unless someone complains to the council.

[msh paving]

No regulations in your own garden, monday-friday 7am-11pm
sundays no plant before 9am
Again councils wont enforce it as its own work in own garden
MSH

[enigmaenigma]

According to this link via Greenwich council, it’s by virtue of The Control of Pollution Act 1974.

Greenwich Council - Noise - Building work

However, I’m sure that the Town & Country Planning Act contains other similar restrictions.

Although, and like MSH - I thought that these limits were in regards construction & building sites in the literal sense of a workplace / payment to third party builders etc and not domestic building work that you undertake on your own property. Or to reword it, not all building work falls under / within the boundaries of these Acts, and I thought that if it wasn’t a permitted development that they had to look after / monitor, then these rules didn’t apply either.

I might be wide of the mark, but I do vaguely remember something along those lines – if it isn’t a job that falls under their supervision / jurisdiction / meddling then the hours bit have no relevance either.




But with the way that the worlds going these days, and even if I am right about that, then they would probably try and give you an ASBO for making noise whilst renovating your own property.

[dig dug dan]

i thought as much. i picked up a crusher the other day and he said we couldn't start it until 8amm as the bloke next door said so,
i ignored it as it was quarter to and i had to get on to my next job!

will keep you posted on future neighbour disputes!

[47p2]

As above, you don't come under any building regulations as you are working on your own garden.
The regulations only apply if you require planning permission for the work being carried out.
In the Glasgow area the working regs hours are Mon-Fri 8:00am-19:00pm Sat 8:00am-13:00pm no work on Sunday unless it's an emergency.

You are however obliged to ensure you do not cause nuisance or noise pollution to your environment, and can get a rap on the knuckles for that.
What to do is keep a paper note of the hours you are working on the project and what exactly you are doing, then if the environmental officer chaps the door you can let them know exactly what you did on whatever date.

When my garage plans were submitted to the local planning dept the architect went to every house and notified them with the required paperwork, no objections were filed and work commenced later that year. Once the build was in progress and they saw the size of the garage I had several complaints put in for noise, unsafe practises with scaffold etc. I was then told that because I required a building certificate at the end I had to comply with the building regs and if I didn't I would be in trouble. From that point on I kept within the regulatory hours and no work on a Sunday.....Well almost.....My hedges are over 12 feet high in places so Sundays were kept for hedge trimming with my Stihl petrol beastie. One hedge this week, another hedge that week and so on. Not another single complaint was made after that


As the saying goes 'There's more than one way to skin a cat' :;):

[matt h]

according to our council you are allowed to work up to 1030 pm, although it is considered to be anti social to do it on a regular basis.. had one woman complain because i was drilling walls at 4.30 in the afternoon! she called environmental health...the duty bloke had to travel 50miles to get to me, and when he turned up and announced who he was, he could not see any reason for the complaint as i told him all work would be completed before 9pm in any case. The neighbour packed up and left three months later and our new ones are far more amenable

[lutonlagerlout]

as its your own place it wouldnt come under the 8-5 mon-fri and 8 till 1 on saturday
however they could keep a log of the noise and get an asbo put on you
its better to work it with them as if you end up in dispute with them, it brings serious problems if either of you wants to sell
cheers
LLL