There are, these days, many different agencies involved in protecting the environment. The Environmental Health Department of the Isle of Wight Council is just one of them.

We work in collaboration with other agencies, including:

Noise nuisance

We provide advice to the Planning Authority on those development proposals that have the potential to create noise that might disturb others. Most of these are proposals for new commercial kitchens (restaurants, takeaways, etc.), where ventilations systems may be required, in order to prevent the cooking odours causing problems. The fans and motors needed as part of those systems are likely to result in noise. The Government Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs have commissioned a very useful “Guidance on the control of odour and noise from commercial kitchen exhaust systems”, which is freely available on their website. It may be downloaded here. http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise/research/kitchenexhaust/index.htm

We provide advice to the Licensing Authority on all applications for Premises Licenses where Regulated Entertainments are applied for. The loud music usual at such venues has resulted in a significant number of complaints to Environmental Health.

The advice we give to the Planning Officer and to the Licensing Officer is intended to “nip in the bud” any noise problem that might otherwise arise.

We also investigate many complaints about noisy neighbours. We write to everybody who complains, and also to the people complained against. By far the majority of these complaints appear to be solved as a result of these letters. Occasionally, however, the problem continues, and we are obliged to take enforcement action.

Clean Air

The first Clean Air Act was passed in 1956. This was as a result of serious “smogs” in the previous decade, which resulted in hundreds of excess deaths. The main way in which the Clean Air Act dealt with the problem was to enable Local Authorities to set up Smoke Control Areas (often commonly, but wrongly, referred to as “smokeless Zones”). Grants were available from Government, to enable householders to convert from open coal-fired grates to closed (so-called “smokeless”) heating appliances. There are no Smoke Control Areas on the Isle of Wight.

We receive many complaints each year about the smoke from bonfires. The National Society for Clean Air has useful advice about bonfires on their web site http://www.nsca.org.uk/pages/environmental_information/garden_bonfires.cfm Contrary to popular belief, there are no bylaws about bonfires on the Island; except for those applying to particular sites, such as Recreation Grounds.

The Government’s National Air Quality Strategy requires Local Authorities to make regular Reviews and Assessments of the quality of the air in their areas. On the Island, Environmental Health has commissioned specialist consultants to carry out this work for them. See the Air Quality pages for more information.

Light nuisance

Nuisance lighting can now be dealt with by Environmental Health. There are exceptions: for example, street lights, and floodlights for most sports.

The Institution of Lighting Engineers has produced useful guidance (see Links)

Environmental Health
Jubilee Stores
The Quay
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 2EH

Office Hours are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Thursday
Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

There is an out of hours service available on:
Friday and Saturday only from 6:30 pm until 2:30 am.
This service is extended to include Thursday during the period
from May 1st to September 30th.

To contact the out of hours service during these times phone
Wightcare : 01983 821105.
Wightcare will take messages or try to arrange for an officer to phone you back.

Outside of shift hours your call will be logged and passed on to the Office
for action on the next working day.