For every keen gardener who has been kept awake by a noisy band in the garage next door, there is a sleepy musician who has had serious objections to the sound of a lawn mower at 7am.
Proposed changes to the NSW Noise Control Regulations are attempting to control these problems, but is seems this could be another example of the fun police going too far.
The changes have been prompted by, among other things, an enormous number of complaints about noise.
Are the noise levels really going up, or is our tolerance going down?
Life is noisy.
A vibrant, healthy neighbourhood is going to make a certain amount of noise, and nearly everyone in the street will be guilty of it at some point.
Making it easier for people to get their neighbours fined does not foster good community relations, nor does it assist people to work things out amongst themselves diplomatically.