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New Legislation Planned To Address Noise Pollution In Saint Lucia

The government of Saint Lucia is planning to introduce new legislation to address noise pollution in public places.

The disclosure came amid concerns among Rodney Bay residents about noise levels from entertainment venues in the area and its surroundings.

Gros Islet MP Kenson Casimir revealed that the Attorney General’s Chambers would create legislation to address the issue throughout Saint Lucia.

He spoke in an interview broadcast by the Government Information Service (GIS).

“What we have done as a government is we’ve engaged the AG’s Chambers to come up with legislation in terms of reform on how we deal with noise pollution,” Casimir said.

He explained that the only way to address noise pollution was to have an objectively measurable decibel level.

The government has had four meetings with Rodney Bay residents, the police and business owners in response to noise pollution concerns in the Rodney Bay area.

But the Gros Islet MP spoke of the need for ongoing discussion regarding enclosing businesses to prevent the problem.

Casimir said the situation would not require compliance by one set of individuals.

He said that discussion should include the nature of the business place’s product and how the owner could be more sensitive to residents.

Casimir did not believe it fair to decide that a business place has to be enclosed.

In this regard, he announced the government’s intention to examine whether to provide concessions, tax relief, or other measures to encourage businesses to enclose their premises.

The MP said a national discussion would ensue once the Attorney General’s Chambers provides direction regarding the noise level at business places.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. So what about the the guys with the extreme noise coming from their vehicles. And their endless speakers.
    Will they be controlled by upcoming law.?
    Asking for a friend .

  2. Kudos to the people of Rodney Bay for getting some traction on this. To the rest of St. Lucia note the classicism on display. Many residents of many different poor communities have reached out to their Parliamentary Reps and Commissioner of Police to solve the very same issue. They paid lip service to the residents and nothing came of it. Hoping that legislatiob will also apple in poor places.

  3. Here you go (you can thank me later):

    A GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY’S NOISE CODE (https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/air/noise/noise-code-guide-summary.pdf)

    MUSIC FROM BARS & RESTAURANTS
    Overview
    The best way to reduce noise disturbances is to encourage businesses to change any offending operational practices. Getting an offending business to come into compliance can be a challenge because compliance may include physically changing a business’s operation or modifying sound equipment.

    As an incentive for commercial noise violations to achieve compliance, the Commissioner may recommend to the Environmental Control Board that no penalty be imposed for a first offense if the business certifies that it has corrected the condition and provides satisfactory and verifiable evidence of the correction. If the offending condition is not remedied, multiple violations may result in penalties or sealing of the sound equipment.

    Commercial establishments that play music must limit the level of unreasonable or disturbing noise that escapes into the streets or is heard in nearby residences by requiring that sounds levels may not exceed:

    • 42 decibels as measured from inside nearby residences, AND
    • 7 decibels over the ambient sound level, as measured on a street or public right-of-way 15 feet or more from the source, between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am

    Sometimes residents are disturbed by pervasive bass sounds that resonate and can be felt physically by a person.
    • Bass sounds measurements are weighted in the “C” scale
    and may not exceed 6 dB(C) above the ambient sound if the ambient sound is greater than 62 dB(C)

  4. @ Solutions oriented

    As someone who visits NYC regularly I can confirm that bars and clubs keep their music to their patrons. You walk right outside the club and the only time you hear music is if someone opens the door. Not sure why black people constantly seeking attention with loud music.

  5. @Solutions Oriented & Just Saying. You are absolutely correct. The way the politicians are addressing the situation, as if it falls under the category of World’s Mysteries.

    There are several solutions. The primary one is providing tax-exempt and soft loans to get soundproofing. On what planet are the politicians living on to think that some people deserve less than a good night’s sleep. While they are it, we need to curb on the noise that’s afflicting the place. It’s not good for citizens health. I have not understood why it’s acceptable for cars to have mounted speakers on their roofs. Where are the health authorities in all this? This is a human health issue. Where is my Human Rights representative? Oops! I forgot there is no money to be gained.
    In the land of the blind, the one eye man is king

  6. @ Poule Foo the solution to this noise problem is simple. Go to those politcians’s homes and blast music into their houses and prevent them from sleeping. Do it every night for a week. Look how quickly the existing laws will be enforced. Same laws that cannot solve the problem in Rodney Bay, Castries, Babonneau, Marchard, Marigot and other communities suffering from this scourge.

  7. Here we go just like I have stated GIVE THESE STIFF UPPER LIPPERS UP IN RODNEY BAY AN INCH THEY WILL WANT TEN YARDS. Before you know it they will want to dictate our civil liberties and social way of life to conform to their standards of lifestyle. Well to them I say to HELL WITH YOU TAKE YOUR CIP MONEY AND GO. They could not get their wish list enforced one way so they are trying to do it legislatively by greasing some politicians palm. Their are always Judas amongst us who are willing to $ell out St Lucia out for any price. We are LOUD AND PROUD St Lucia love it or leave it

  8. OMG!!!…I am so pleased to know I am not the only local seeking relief from this noise pollution and the incredibly inconsiderate business owners, alcoholics, noise-hoggers and incompetent politicians on this island. It is 11:49 in the night right now and the Royal T-Bar in Aupicon, Vieux-Fort is playing their music so loud, it is impossible to sleep. The bar is placed in a residential community and has no onsite parking because it is at a busy 3-way junction off a main hwy. This also causes a driving and parking nightmare for residents whose entrances are always blocked and receive verbal assaults and threats from the bar’s patrons when asked to move. They have even taken to physically assaulting our homes with beer cans and bottles. The side of the road is often littered with bottles and trash from their night’s drinking. Now tell me, who is the approving authority that gave this business an “alcohol” and “loud noise” license considering all what I’ve mentioned? The MPs and Reps pass through the community all the time as well as “Law Enforcement”. Need I say more??? Because of this bar and the type of people they attract, the area is fast turning into a ghetto. This bar not only plays their music loudly, their music is most times very offensive and in full hearing of the small children who reside in this community. Is it fair that our children are forced to listen to these nasty songs despite a parent’s best efforts at parenting? After a long day’s work, you cannot have any peace inside your own home because they are infringing on your right of peaceful abode, whereas the owners of the bar, who by the way do not reside in the community, can go to their homes and sleep peacefully. Why must our peace, health and safety be sacrificed at the expense of these people’s greed?
    It’s encouraging to read this article and your supportive comments. Like someone wrote, the solution to this is not a mystery! Neither is it a new issue in St. Lucia. WHY is it taking this long to stop? When the shoe is on the other foot, I bet like another commenter noted, those politicians will act quickly. Noise pollution is a crime but all we receive right now from MPs and law enforcement is lip service. How many times must you report a noise disturbance about the same establishment? How can you depend on these people? They only seem to serve the “Tourists”. You can go to Sandy Beach right now and none of these bars next to Coconut Bay are playing loud music. WHY??? When the Tourists and Expats leave, tell me, who is left with the hearing loss, the frustration and anger, the mental health issues, the respective medical bills, the littering, the devaluation of our properties and even the violence produced from this issue?

  9. Not even ‘safe’ from this extreme noise pollution in strictly residential areas! Sandals Golf and Country Club is constantly holding mass crowd events on the driving range. Was over 90 decibels in my home 3 blocks away from 3 pm to 11 pm yesterday!! I feel bad for my neighber whose home is immediately next to the driving range. She said it maxed over 100 much of the time. That’s in her home in a RESIDENTIAL ONLY area! Sandals continues to show complete disrespect and disregard to Lucians!!

  10. Living in the serene community of Laborie, I’ve witnessed a growing issue that’s affecting the well-being of our residents – loud music from cars with booming speakers. Despite the peace our community usually enjoys, these vehicles disrupt our lives, playing music at all hours, shaking my windows, and causing distress to my elderly granny, who is on the edge of having a heart attack each time. Even babies in the neighborhood are left in tears.

    I’ve reached out to the police, but unfortunately, no substantial action has been taken. It’s disheartening and leaves me feeling helpless. Constant noise pollution is more than just an inconvenience; it’s affecting our physical and mental well-being every single day.

  11. What about dogs barking? Are there any penalties for owners who persistently have barking dogs? It’s not just about loud music; it also includes motorcycles, dog barking, and so forth.

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