As complaints to environmental health departments about noise nuisance spiral ever higher, Nick Warburton reports on an award winning project to promote noise awareness in schools

In September this year, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council became the first local authority to receive the John Connell Award (EHN 39, 12 October, page 9). Set up in memory of John Connell OBE, founder of the Noise Abatement Society in 1959, the award recognises a local authority that has done the "most to mediate and settle conflicts arising from noise complaints". Like most local authorities, Blackburn with Darwen's noise control service has received a growing number of noise complaints over recent years - in excess of 2,500 enquiries last year. Enforcement action is higher than ever before, but even so, it is evident that this alone is no longer sufficient in tackling the rise in complaints.

As little had been done to counter the disturbance of noise in the first place, the council devised an innovative scheme, the Schools Noise Action Programme (SNAP), aimed at raising awareness of noise nuisance among children. "The council decided from the outset that tackling noise was a long-term objective that required a proactive rather than reactive approach," says Jenette Hicks, principal EHO at Blackburn with Darwen. "By targeting children, the message will hopefully filter through to the wider community."

The decision to use school children was a novel idea and served a dual purpose. Children attract more press coverage and their involvement meant that the project could be directly linked to the science element of the national curriculum. During 1998 and 1999, the council organised several small-scale projects with a local school to coincide with Noise Awareness Day, including a poster campaign. One of the poster entries was later used by the council to promote noise awareness and advertise the noise control service. The success of the projects led to the setting up of a more ambitious and comprehensive scheme for the spring of 2000. Nine primary schools were targeted; the prerequisite being that each had catchments within the priority areas identified in the borough's crime and disorder strategy. As Ms Hicks points out: "[We] were very fortunate that Simon Kirby, the lead officer, is married to a primary school teacher. Without this link, I think the schools would have been reluctant to participate". Though initially unenthusiastic, a class of year five and a class of year six students at five of the schools did agree to take part in the SNAP's three events. The first event, a three-hour visit to each of the schools, was primarily an information gathering and disseminating exercise. Presentations to the schoolchildren involved anecdotes about loud noises and horrid smells, recordings of real "neighbours from hell" and pictures of barking dogs, highlighting noise as a nuisance. Participation from the children was actively encouraged throughout, with many pupils sharing their own personal experiences of noise in the community. The children were later asked to create a poster either showing how nuisance can be a problem, or advertising the noise control services of the council. Noise measurement in the local community formed the basis of the second event. Classes at each of the schools were split into small groups and taken to a number of locations, including roadsides, factories, construction sites and peaceful open spaces, within walking distance of the schools. Noise measurements were taken and the children were then encouraged to discuss the relative impact of the noises on the surrounding area. The project concluded with a presentation, in the form of a play, to the school assembly promoting a message of good citizenship. An estimated 1,600 children, 120 staff and 150 parents attended the school assemblies at the five schools. A prize was also awarded to the winner of the paint-a-nuisance contest.

As well as offering educational benefits, the scheme has enabled the environmental health department to meet a number of its objectives:
- informing potential users of the council's noise service;
- raising awareness of noise; and
- contributing towards meeting the objectives of the local crime and disorder strategy.
Despite the project's overall success however, Ms Hicks points out that the SNAP programme has been fairly staff intensive. As the environmental health service has limited resources, the council has plans to develop future projects with Groundwork, a local pressure group. "We are now working in partnership with external agencies who hopefully will take the project and deliver it to schools without our direct involvement. This will then ensure the sustainability of this proactive work".

Peter Wakeham, director of the Noise Abatement Society, says the award to Blackburn and Darwen Council was justified for a number of reasons. "The work contributed towards meeting the national curriculum in science 'sound' attainment and was linked with numeracy measures. We encourage teaching in schools that noise is wasteful and unnecessary and have always stated that education is one way forward in raising noise issues". NAS is one of the leading campaigners in favour of future noise reduction. It was largely responsible for pushing the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960 and was also influential in shaping the noise sections of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Noise and Statutory Nuisances Act 1993 and the Noise Act 1996. The society is currently pressing the Government for a National Abatement Act, which Peter Wakeham says "will enable all local authorities to give greater consistency to tackling noise complaints". The award, presented by John Connell's daughter Gloria Elliott, was given to Councillor Maureen Bateson and Mrs Knight, head of one of the schools involved.

Councils interested in participating next year should contact the Noise Abatement Society to request an application form. To register on the mailing list, contact NAS at 44 Grand Parade, Brighton, BN2 2QA. E-mail: nas@noiseabatementsociety.fsnet.co.uk For more information visit: www.noiseabatementsociety.com

Readers may be interested in purchasing the WHO Environmental Health Pamphlets on "Acoustic measurement", "Noise in schools", and "Noise and health", available from the publications department for £7.60 each. Tel: 020 7827 58823 or e-mail: publicationsdept@chgl.com