When is a noise not a noise? When it's not covered by the law. At least, that's the contention of some residents in Mid-Levels, who say the government's definition of construction noise has left them having to put up with the clatter of building work from 7am to midnight seven days a week.
Companies building in Seymour Road have obtained a construction noise permit, which is granted if a noise assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency is passed. For a built-up area like Mid-Levels, the limit is 65 decibels from 7pm to 11pm, and 50 decibels 11pm to 7am.
'If building sites do not exceed these levels they will be granted the permit because the noise levels will not cause any nuisance,' senior agency officer Lau See-hon said.
In theory, such levels would not be a nuisance as 65 decibels is equivalent to the sound of a cash register and 50 to that of a quiet radio. But the permit only considers the noise of powered mechanical equipment and ignores the extra noise made by workers during the usually restricted hours of 7pm-7am and Sundays.
One of the sites granted a permit is Wing Tai Properties' development in Seymour Road, where for two years work has gone from 7am until 11pm.
'It's like living in a war zone,' said Elizabeth Wilson, who lives in Fortune Gardens, an upscale block beside the site. 'There is dust and debris everywhere, and I have not been able to sleep past seven when they start, even if I wear earplugs.'