Authorities in Vancouver are drafting a new odour bylaw after a spike in complaints about a bad smell in East Vancouver.

Residents near Hastings Street and Commercial Drive claim the smell from a nearby chicken rendering plant is preventing them sitting out on their patios or even opening their windows.

Metro Vancouver, the body in charge of air quality in the Lower Mainland, now hopes to have a bylaw passed to deal with the offending odour.

Environmental regulation manager Ray Robb said both the rights of the residents and the company need to be considered.

"Residents have a right to acceptable air quality no matter where you live. And the company certainly has a right to operate, but they don't have the right to adversely impact people's quality of life," said Robb.

"We are working with the company to try and get them to reduce their emissions."

Robb said the proposed bylaw would govern everything from rendering plants to compost operations and would allow officials to charge companies for the cost of addressing complaints and negotiating solutions.