Noise & your business
Since the commencement of the Environment Protection (Noise) Policy 2007 (the Noise EPP) on 31 March 2008, the noise compliance levels for your business may have changed.
In the Noise EPP, the method for determining noise compliance levels is different compared to the previous industrial noise policy. The Noise EPP uses council development plans as a starting point for determining the amenity for an area and the resulting noise compliance levels for businesses.
If a business had noise requirements set out in:
- an EPA licence
- an environment protection order, or
- an exemption
immediately before the new Noise EPP commenced, then it will not take effect for that business until those requirements expire or are due for renewal.
Regardless of this, Section 25 of the Environment Protection Act 1993 – to take all reasonable and practicable measures to minimise pollution – still applies. This includes noise as pollution.
If you have any queries and you hold an EPA licence, contact your licence coordinator.