Planning Consultation Guidance Notes

This document is intended to provide guidance to Wiltshire Council Environmental Control and Protection Officers when reviewing planning applications and making recommendations to the Development Management service on matters relating to noise and vibration.

The document may also assist those seeking planning permission, and their advisors, by drawing to their attention the noise and vibration issues that may need to be addressed. The aim is to provide clarity for developers in understanding our expectations where there is no national guidance or where national guidance may be open to interpretation in certain circumstances. Where complex development or challenging locations are proposed, advice maybe sought from the Environmental Control and Protection service (ECP) in respect of specific applications. The consideration of acoustical matters in support of a planning proposal is a complex and technical matter and it is expected that competent persons will be engaged by the developer to deliver this service.

The document provides general guidelines, drawing on information to be found in a number of international, national and local documents. Occasionally, the review of a planning application may raise issues not fully addressed in this guidance; and other guidance or criteria may then be utilised.

Wiltshire is a rural county, interspersed with villages, market towns and the city of Salisbury. Three Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are present in Wiltshire; The Cotswolds in the north-west of the county, the North Wessex Downs encompasses land in north-east Wiltshire and Cranbourne Chase to the south of Wiltshire. Salisbury Plain, a restricted military area is present in the centre of the county. Background noise levels in much of Wiltshire at night are therefore low, commonly below 30dB LA 90 in towns, with lower levels in rural areas.

Areas close to the M4 corridor, which runs through the north of the county experience higher noise levels, as do areas near major roads and the railway network. Industrial areas and commercial centres within the towns and city are also associated with higher noise levels.

This document is intended to support and promote the policies concerning noise in the Wiltshire Council Core Strategy and reflect the guidance concerning noise in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Noise Policy Statement for England (NPSE). This document considers common and frequently occurring situations which arise in planning applications; situations that have not been considered in this document will be assessed in line with the policies in the Core Strategy and the guidance associated with the NPPF. In all cases the evaluation of an application is based on a balanced assessment of the proposed development and the resulting impacts on acoustic amenity.

Where this guidance refers to a named document (e.g. National / International Standard, Guidance Document or policy document) the relevant version is the one listed in this guidance. However, if the named document has been updated or revised, the new version may be used as a source of guidance provided it continues to address issues relevant to this guidance.