Northern Ireland’s noisiest neighbours identified in analysis of government data

Northern Ireland's noisiest neighbours identified in analysis of government data
Some complaints were more rare than others with 15 made for the sound of children playing

The area with the noisiest neighbours in Northern Ireland has been revealed in new analysis of official government data.

Belfast had the most 'domestic' complaints in Northern Ireland by far, with 3,866 complaints received by the council between 2023 and 2024 for things like barking dogs, parties and loud music causing nuisance noise.

The most tranquil area for noise – or perhaps the area where residents are least likely to complain – was Newry, Mourne and Down, where there were just 351 noise complaints of any kind made to the council.

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While Belfast is the most populous council area in Northern Ireland and would therefore be expected to have the most noise complaints, analysis of the official government statistics carried out by CompareNI.com shows that it also has the most complaints per head of population.

There were over 5,000 noise complaints made to Belfast City Council between April 1 2023 and March 31 2024 – with 3,866 coming from 'domestic' sources and things like construction, transport, loudspeakers, or industrial noise making up the remainder.

Broken down per head of population, that amounts to 15 noise complaints for every 1,000 people in the Belfast City Council area.

That's three times the number of complaints per person than the council area with the next highest rate of noise complaints, Antrim and Newtownabbey, which had five complaints per 1,000 people and a total of 802 complaints.

Newry, Mourne and Down had both the lowest rate of complaints with two per 1,000 people and the lowest total at 351.

The data, published by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs at Stormont, also breaks the complaints down into 32 different categories.

There were five complaints types categories as 'domestic' noise – DIY, music/television/parties, animal noise, house alarms and other neighbour noise.

Some complaints were more rare than others, with 10 complaints made for ice cream van chimes and 15 made for the sound of children playing.

The Noise Act 1996 (NA) allows council officers to issue warnings and fixed penalty notices and, in certain circumstances, to seize noise making equipment from premises emitting noise during night hours (from 11pm to 7am).

Commenting on the figures, Ian Wilson Managing Director at CompareNI.com said: “Noise can be a real problem for a lot of homeowners or tenants. As the statistics show, the largest number of complaints were made for domestic noise with a total of 8,141 across Northern Ireland in the last year. There are certain things you can do to make sure you’re not being a noisy neighbour. Remember that night hours as stated by the council are 11pm – 7am so it’s wise to keep any TV or music low during this time period and parties taking place after this time should be kept to a minimum."

He continued: “The law defines a maximum amount of noise which is acceptable during night hours, when noise exceeds the permitted level, the district council can investigate and take action. You can help reduce noise pollution from outside disturbing you in your home, such as making sure there are no cracks in your walls and that windows and doors are well insulated, helping reduce the outside noise. If you are getting noise from a shared wall with a neighbour, try moving furniture around so that heavy items such as bookcases, wardrobes or sofas can absorb the noise and reduce the volume."

He added: “Remember a noise related offence may increase your home insurance costs or make it difficult to find protection as most providers will normally ask if occupants have any convictions or pending prosecutions. Unneighbourly behaviour may even affect the validity of a home insurance policy, should you need to make a claim – insurers could refuse to pay out if the policyholders loud and excessive parties show they haven’t taken ‘reasonable care’ of the property."

The number of noise complaints in Northern Ireland during 2023 and 2024, broken down by council area, is as follows:

Antrim and Newtownabbey 628 domestic, 802 total
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon 634 domestic, 776 total
Belfast 3,866 domestic, 5,202 total
Causeway Coast and Glens 389 domestic, 504 total
Derry and Strabane 368 domestic, 471 total
Fermanagh and Omagh 180 domestic, 259 total
Lisburn and Castlereagh 427 domestic, 565 total
Mid and East Antrim 491 domestic, 649 total
Mid Ulster 351 domestic, 456 total
Newry, Mourne and Down 286 domestic, 351 total
Ards and North Down 530 domestic, 649 total
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https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-irelands-noisiest-neighbours-identified-31260012