Planning Consultation Guidance Notes
3. Information required to determine the noise impact of a proposal
3.1 Noise Assessment methodology requirements
The impact of noise must be considered for each application where proposed or existing noise sensitive occupiers may be affected by proposed or existing noise sources as a result of the development. The assessment must be carried out by a suitably qualified person (2) who has appropriate training and experience in the field of environmental acoustics.
In addition, there shall be a consideration of potential noise impacts arising from demolition and construction works for the proposed development. For large schemes or where there is likely to be prolonged or significant impacts, a demolition/construction management plan will be required.
In some cases, a noise assessment may simply show by predictive calculation that a proposal will have no noise implications, and in others a detailed and complex study with proposals for further mitigation measures may need to be considered and the effectiveness analysed.ECP officers work closely with Planning Officers where such proposals may materially affect the application (e.g. a high acoustic barrier may not be acceptable on visual grounds).
(2. Suitably qualified person: A person having a suitable combination of formal training and experience in the assessment of noise. Advice in the identification of suitably qualified persons can be obtained from the Association of Noise Consultants.https://www.association-of-noise-consultants.co.uk/ (opens new window))
| Requirement | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Information on noise sources | It is important to know what noise sources exist in the locality of a proposed development and the extent of their impacts (e.g. operating hours and activities of source premises). Consideration should also be given to presenting the impact of each source on the development and including details of any remedial measures proposed to reduce the impact. |
| Assessing impact of existing noise sources | It is expected that noise levels are measured at both the source and potential receptor location, rather than predicted values based purely on calculation. Consideration of distance, noise barriers and orientation where appropriate is acceptable. Noise from road traffic or railways should be based on measured data. |
| Noise Sources not in full operation at time of assessment | The noise impact assessment must reflect the impacts based on current conditions but also consider potential impacts if the premises were to operate in full use of the existing planning consent.The worst case scenario must be considered in these circumstances. This includes consideration of the planning use class. Planning use classes are defined by the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended). For example B2 use covers most industrial processes and activities that may be carried out under this use class may have significant noise breakout and emissions to air. |
| Draft Acoustic reports | The submitted noise report must be the final version rather than a draft version. This department does not have the resources to review and correct draft reports and may recommend refusal where draft or incomplete reports are submitted. |
| Background and Ambient Noise Levels | Worst case scenarios must be considered, |
| Unattended measurements | These are not appropriate for assessing the impact of commercial, industrial or entertainment noise as the measured data cannot be correlated with specific activities at the premises being assessed. Where unattended measurements are used for railway or road traffic noise, unless individual noise events can be clearly attributed to a source (such as from sound recording or railway timetables) we will not accept assumptions of the source of noise particularly where it is intended to discount a discrete event. |
| Assessment of LAFmax | It is normally appropriate to discount the highest values (based on the comments in WHO Guidelines for community noise) (3); in order to discount data the noise survey must cover the entire night time period and consist of measurements over suitable averaging periods (4) to permit effective statistical assessment. |
| Extrapolation of percentile levels (i.e. LA90) | Percentile levels determined over a certain time interval cannot accurately be extrapolated to other time intervals (5).The mean average of a series of measured background sound levels is not numerically equal to the overall period background sound level that would otherwise be obtained by a single measurement spanning individual measurement periods (6). Therefore ECP will not normally accept values of LA90,1 hour or LA90, 15 minute derived from shorter measurement periods. Section 8 of BS 4142:2014+A1:2019 provides additional guidance on the measurement of background noise levels. |
| Deviation from guidance | Any deviation from guidance or British Standards needs to be detailed in the report along with the reason for these deviations. |
(3. Guidelines for Community Noise Edited by B. Berglund et al. WHO 1999 (paragraph 3.4))
(4. Assessing Lmax for Residential Developments: The AVO Guide Approach-Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics Vol. 41. Pt. 1. 2019)
(5. BS8233:2014 Paragraph 3.1.8)
(6. BS 4142:2014 + A1:2019 Paragraph 8.1.4 Note 2)
| Development type | Noise source | Noise survey requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | Major road (7) / motorway | 24-hour noise survey - however the assessment may need to be extended to reflect possible variations between weekday/night and weekend/night. See Section 6.4 |
| Residential | Railway | Noise survey-based on timetable to include freight where applicable.The LAeq (16 hour day and 8 hour night), should be measured. In addition, suitable shorter term LAeq, LA90,LA10 and LAFmax would be expected in order to give a clearer picture of the existing noise environment. Additionally, a ground-borne vibration assessment in accordance with BS6472 by a competent person will be required if the development within 30 meters of a railway line. See Section 6.4 |
| Residential | Airfield | Noise Survey-monitoring timed and for a duration that covers typical airfield use and based on flight log evidence. The LAeq (16 hour day and 8 hour night), should be measured. In addition, suitable shorter term LAeq, LA90,LA10 and LAFmax would be expected in order to give a clearer picture of the existing noise environment |
| Residential | Commercial noise | Attended survey to determine worst and typical cases - BS4142 Assessment of impact both daytime and night-time where noise may occur at times throughout the 24-hour period. See section 6.5 |
| Residential | Industrial noise | Attended survey to determine worst and typical cases-BS4142 Assessment of impact both daytime and night-time where noise may occur at times throughout the 24-hour period. See section 6.5 |
| Residential | Entertainment noise | Attended survey and assessment of impact. See Section 6.7 |
| Residential | No significant transportation or other noise sources in proximity | Survey not normally required; however, consideration should be given to other sources that impact on the noise environment such as major construction. |
| Industrial and or Commercial | n/a | BS4142:2014+A1:2019 impact assessment for noise sensitive premises and consideration of transport impacts and possible ground-borne vibration. See Section 6.6 |
| Entertainment | n/a | Impact assessment based on octave / third octave band data and consideration of noise generated by patrons. See Section 6.7 |
| Hotel | n/a | Location of a hotel is a commercial decision. ECP do not make recommendations for road traffic noise. BS8233:2014 provides guidance on this. However, if the hotel is adjacent to significant noise generating industrial, commercial or entertainment sources a detailed assessment of noise will be required due to the potential impacts on existing businesses. See Section 6.7 |
(7. A major road should be regarded as any classified A or B road, bus routes and roads subject to significant freight movements)
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