A. The strengthening of building regulations relating to noise pollution to create a single, national standard for the design and construction of homes and to improve acoustic protection in buildings, following a review of standards in comparable northern European countries.

B. Allowance for local authorities to refuse planning permission where noise in the completed development would be deemed to be excessive and cannot be cost effectively reduced.  New noise sensitive developments should not be created in places where occupants would be likely to resort to legal action against established economic activities which are otherwise acceptable.

C. The Code for Sustainable Homes should be updated, with noise protection included as one of the measures for sustainable building design, reflecting the importance of quiet buildings to the health and wellbeing of the occupiers.

D. Planning Policy should enable and encourage local communities to create and protect tranquil spaces and green squares and empower planners to consider the availability of conveniently located tranquil spaces when granting planning permission for homes in noisy environments.

E. The establishment of development zones, as part of the Code for Sustainable Homes, that create and maintain sufficient acoustic separation between residential and other noise sensitive uses, and noise generators (such as commercial and enterprise zones). This zoning should guide planning application considerations and allow residential and commercial (and other noise generating areas) to function successfully and cost effectively. Local authorities should be empowered to ensure that the economic, social and cultural benefits of land use mixing are secured without creating noise disturbance.

F.Government policy should encourage local authorities and third sector partners to test innovative approaches to tackling intractable local noise and soundscape problems, such as in the White Night West Street Story project designed and run jointly by the Noise Abatement Society and Brighton & Hove City Council; including through targeted funding for pilot projects covering noise prevention and other beneficial outcomes such as crime prevention and enhancing the urban environment.

G. The Government should establish a cross-sector, inter-disciplinary acoustic, academic, NGO and property industry task force to provide greater assistance to minimise the health effects of Low Frequency Noise, establish the impact this has on people and create a maximum exposure limit for householders. The task-force should be mandated to recommend updates to building regulations to protect residents in their homes from unnecessary noise disturbance.

H. The Government should strengthen building standards for schools to better address the impact of poor acoustics on educational attainment, building on the extensive research that has been conducted into this problem. These guidelines should set stricter minimum acoustic protection levels and lower maximum allowable noise levels for class rooms that should be followed by developers and architects when designing new schools, universities and colleges (and extensions to existing facilities) to create better learning environments.

I. The Government should introduce a new funding programme, to tackle poor noise insulation, which creates acute distress leading to neighbour conflicts in parts of the UK’s existing housing stock, in partnership with private sector funding and within the auspices of the ECO home improvement programme and the Code for Sustainable Homes. This would be complementary to the aims of the Green Deal and could be achieved at no additional cost using insulation that provides both acoustic and thermal properties.

Click here to read the full consultation response

Click here to read the full consultation response

Following on from the success of last year’s conference, Sounding Brighton brought together world environmental sound experts, in its home town of Brighton & Hove. The primary focus of the event was on soundscape issues relating to health and quality of life.

The event once again provided the opportunity to raise awareness and promote communication on soundscapes among the general public and facilitated exchange between international soundscape experts involved in the EU COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), Eurocities and the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) networks; and policy makers, academics, scientists and local people. It also explored new ways of listening and assessing local sounds, as well as innovative methods for tackling noise through local town planning.

Professor Jian Kang, of Sheffield University and Chair of the EU COST Action TD0804 on “Soundscapes of European Cities and Landscapes” said: “Reducing sound levels, the focus of EU environmental noise policy, does not necessarily lead to improved quality of life in urban/rural areas, and a new multidisciplinary approach is essential. Soundscape research represents this paradigm shift as it involves not only physical measurements but also the co-operation of human/social sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology, architecture, anthropology, medicine).”

Brighton & Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat said: “The Soundscapes project is unique in the way it brings together experts in their field and local people to explore the different aspects of sound, how it relates to people and how we can improve quality of life in the city.

“The conference informed the council’s work on finding practical ways of improving public spaces, managing noise where it is having a negative impact and designing environments with soundscapes that can actually improve people’s wellbeing.”

Lisa Lavia, Managing Director of the NAS said: “Soundscape can be best described as the acoustic environment as perceived and understood by people, in context and regards sound as an important environmental resource to be managed and cared for. Sounding Brighton is an ambitious project led by Brighton & Hove City Council and the NAS, which will ultimately benefit the city and serve to showcase how innovative and forward thinking can lead to healthy, pleasant soundscapes.”

The workshop presentations included analysis of Sounding Brighton sonic installations staged during White Night, the city’s all night arts and cultural festival, on 29 October 2011, including a ground breaking pilot experiment using the soundscape to help enhance public safety and improve crowd behaviour on West Street. It involved Martyn Ware of the Illustrious Company and founder of the Human League and Heaven 17; psychobiologist Dr Harry Witchel of Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and film and broadcast specialists Driftwood Productions.

Also included was a review of a survey of local residents on their experience of local sounds in a city-wide online Sounding Brighton Survey conducted last year in conjunction with the University of Stockholm. The gathered international experts helped to propose a range of soundscape options for the council’s improvement of areas such as Brighton station, the seafront, foreshore, historic terraces, squares, lanes, parks and gardens.

To enable the public to better understand and interact with some of the concepts being presented to the city, a ‘Sounding Brighton’ free-entry poster and video installation also opened to the public on Monday 18th June for one week before being on display in other European cities.

For more information email soundscape@noise-abatement.org

While the Society welcomed the opportunity to respond to the consultation, we were extremely surprised and concerned not to have our views sought during the pre-consultation process described in section 2.13 of the Consultation Document. As the UK’s only registered Charity who’s sole remit is to find solutions to noise pollution problems, we were at a loss to understand how a reasonable review of “noise stakeholders” could not have included the NAS.

We also expressed our concern that Paragraph 2.13 of the Consultation Document is prejudicial, referring to “initial discussions with noise stakeholders that suggest that they are not overly concerned by a relaxation of the Code”. Government should not prejudge the positions of stakeholders on the basis of cursory discussions in which people may be reserving their positions in the context of Prime Ministerial comments which may themselves be considered prejudicial.

We also fail to understand how a consultation on adding more noise into sensitive environments benefits anyone or is aligned with any of the principles, aims or objectives of the Government’s Noise Policy Statement for England.

The NAS would like to go on record to clearly state that it does not support the view of other “noise stakeholders”, as stated in Section 2.13 of the Consultation Document, of being “not overly concerned by the relaxation of the Code”. The exact opposite is true.

The use of chimes in public streets is a form of aggressive selling and noise pollution that would not be countenanced for other industries. It abuses and seeks to bypass the relationship between children and their parents/guardians, exploiting the ‘pester power’ of children.

It is especially irresponsible to encourage such selling practices of ‘fast food’ and sugary treats for children. Parents may be concerned at child obesity, encouraging healthy eating and may want to protect their children from aggressive selling and the attendant peer pressure from other children. People can usually get ice cream from plenty of other outlets, including convenience shops and supermarkets, which do not use inane noise pollution to force their attention on citizens who have a basic human right to peace and quiet in their own homes.

As has been well documented in numerous studies, noise can cause annoyance and fatigue, interfere with communication and sleep, reduce efficiency and damage hearing. Long undisputed by practitioners and underpinned by the World Health Organisation in its report Burden of disease from environmental noise, quantification of healthy life years lost in Europe (World Health Organization 2011, www.euro.who.int), “the health impacts of noise are a growing concern among both the general public and policy-makers in Europe”.

The WHO report presents a summary of “synthesized reviews of evidence on the relationship between environmental noise and specific health effects, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbance and tinnitus”.

It shows that “with conservative assumptions applied to the calculation methods, estimated DALYs lost from environmental noise were 61 000 years for ischaemic heart disease, 45 000 years for cognitive impairment of children, 903 000 years for sleep disturbance, 22 000 years for tinnitus and 587 000 years for annoyance in the European Union Member States and other western European countries”.

Callers to the NAS’ National Noise Helpline give a human voice to these findings with their appeals for help heard on a daily basis:

‘Ever since we moved in my life has been hell. I don’t want to go home sometimes but there’s nowhere else to go.’

‘I am a prisoner in my own home because of noise.’

‘I can no longer tolerate the noise. I have not slept properly in weeks.’

It is not unusual for highly distressed callers to the Helpline to cry on the phone.

It is against this backdrop of our own experience, those of the callers to our helpline and the considerable evidence as to the adverse health effects of noise pollution, that it is NAS’ strong view that given the many disturbances that residents are already required to put up with in the built environment, there is no justifiable reason to encourage unnecessary noise disturbance in order to encourage unhealthy eating practices amongst the young and the attendant health risks this will engender later in life.

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Transport for London (TfL), London Councils and London’s business community have today (2 April) confirmed that they will be sympathetic to companies that need to make or receive out-of-hours deliveries in London during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The pragmatic approach was endorsed by London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee last week, when they approved a statement to help local authorities explain the position on night-time deliveries during the Games. The statement makes it clear that councils will be supportive and sympathetic to the needs of businesses needing out-of-hours deliveries during the 2012 Games, when deliveries to businesses on the Olympic Route Network, in central London and around venues will be affected by Games-related restrictions on key parts of the capital’s road network.

London boroughs reserve the right to continue to enforce against businesses that are inconsiderate or disturb local communities, especially if complaints are received about excessive noise being made when making or receiving deliveries. Good steps to minimise the chance of any enforcement action include following the Code of Practice and in particularly sensitive areas businesses are advised to discuss this issue with local borough councils in advance.

In order to support the needs of London’s residents and those of the freight industry and businesses affected by Games-time restrictions, Transport for London (TfL) has today published the final Code of Practice for out-of-hours deliveries. The code, which was developed with the Noise Abatement Society and the Freight Transport Association, provides businesses and delivery companies with simple, practical guidance on how to minimise noise from night-time deliveries and is available now

London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, said: “The challenges surrounding deliveries during the Games are considerable. However, the success of the quieter out-of-hours delivery trials we’ve commissioned in recent months clearly demonstrate that out-of-hours deliveries can, and I believe will, play a vital role in ensuring London and the rest of the UK keeps on moving this summer.

“I urge businesses that make or receive deliveries in London to use the Code of Practice for all out-of-hours deliveries. It is up to the freight and business community to prove to London’s borough councils that they are aware of, and care about, the impact they have on the communities they deliver to. If the industry gets it right this summer, this is also a real opportunity for reducing congestion and improving air quality and road safety in London in the future.”

Nick Lester, Corporate Director for Services at London Councils, said: “London’s councils are working hard to ensure that businesses can keep running as smoothly as possible during the Games and to minimise disruption to residents. While enforcement will be as light-touch and flexible as possible, boroughs will continue to enforce against any business stopping Londoners from getting a good night’s sleep.”

Sara Parker, CBI’s London Director, said: “This agreement on a more flexible approach to deliveries is a real breakthrough which will mean that London’s businesses can continue delivering a high-quality service to their customers during the Games.

“With so many Londoners and visitors out and about in the capital over the summer, it’s really important that shops, pubs and restaurants can remain fully stocked.”

Baroness Valentine, Chief Executive of London First, said: “The Olympics are a positive thing for London, but it’s vital that businesses in London are able to remain open during the Games. This code of practice will provide certainty around more flexible delivery arrangements – without which many businesses will be unable to operate normally. This would be bad for residents, bad for businesses and bad for employment both during and after the Games.”

Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “The Olympics and Paralympics present a fantastic opportunity for businesses and it is a positive step that London Councils and TfL have reached an understanding which will help firms to operate as near to normal as possible during the Games. As a Chamber we will continue to communicate to our members, and the wider business community, the importance of adhering to TfL’s Code of Practice and planning ahead to make sure that any changes to operations are kept to a minimum while firms take full advantage of all the Games will offer to business.”

Sue Terpilowski, London Policy Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Small businesses across London will support this announcement on night time deliveries. This is a victory for common sense, when the roads will be heavily congested, to enable deliveries to be made at night time. We will work closely with our members to ensure they are aware of the Code of Practice to ensure that residents are not disturbed during the Games.

“It is vital that London remains open for business during the Games and so mitigating the risks of imposed transport obstacles are very much welcome.”

Sarah Bell, lead Traffic Commissioner for Olympic Delivery, said: “Today’s announcement by London Councils and TfL goes a long way to addressing the challenges the freight industry faces in making deliveries to some parts of London during this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain urge the freight industry to consider out-of-hours deliveries as one of a number of solutions that will help both the freight sector and London keep on moving this summer, and we ask them to abide by the conditions of the Code of Practice that TfL has published today.”

Natalie Chapman, Freight Transport Association Head of Policy for London, said: “The FTA welcomes the flexible, sensible approach London’s boroughs are taking to the challenge freight operators and businesses face around making and receiving deliveries during Games-time.

“We will be urging freight operators to follow and respect the conditions laid out in the Code of Practice. If they can prove, as we believe, that out-of-hours deliveries can be made without disturbing local residents, there could be tremendous legacy benefits for the capital, both in terms of improved road safety, air quality and a reduction in day-time traffic congestion.”

Lisa Lavia, Managing Director of the Noise Abatement Society, said; “London Council’s decision to support the principle of quiet, out-of-hours deliveries during Games time ensures that the rights of local residents are protected while taking a pragmatic approach to the challenge businesses making and receiving deliveries face this summer.

“TfL’s out-of-hours delivery trials, which have been conducted using the Code of Practice we helped them draft, have proved the viability of quiet deliveries in the capital and the conditions under which they may be feasible. Introducing quiet delivery practices during Games-time, under strict guidelines and independent monitoring, ensures that the public can be protected throughout.’’

Notes to editors

1. There are four main regulatory issues around out-of-hours deliveries, which have been discussed with the freight sector and with London Councils officers. The position on each of the regulatory issues is as follows (from London Councils Transport and Environment Committee paper, 15 March 2012):

a. London Lorry Control Scheme: London Councils have published a factsheet on the operation of the London Lorry Control Scheme during the Games. This sets out how they plan to issue temporary permits for the Games.

b. Planning Conditions: Borough Planning Officers have a legal duty to investigate complaints of breaches in planning conditions; these may include conditions limiting the hours of delivery.

c. Alcohol licensing: some local authorities attach conditions to alcohol licenses restricting deliveries at night.

d. Noise nuisance: Environmental Health Officers have a legal duty to investigate complaints of noise nuisance and enforcement may result. The legislation covers such issues as noisy neighbours as well as noise from delivery activities and can lead to a Noise Abatement Notice being issued and the impounding of any equipment causing the noise nuisance.

2. The Traffic Commissioner have been working closely with road transport trade associations and TfL to offer practical advice to help road haulage operators plan for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more information see here

3. London Councils and TfL will monitor and assess the impact of out-of-hours deliveries during Games time, which will inform any future potential changes to out-of-hours deliveries in London.

4. The Code of Practice was developed in partnership with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Noise Abatement Society (NAS). TfL engaged with, and sought feedback from, the freight industry, London boroughs and other interested parties, which has resulted in the final version which has been published today. The Code of Practice sets out practical tips on how both drivers and those receiving the goods can work together to make deliveries as quietly as possible. Information on out-of-hours trials, the Code of Practice, is available here

5. TfL is working closely with businesses and our London 2012 partners to minimise the impact of the Games on the capital’s road network. However, it is essential that freight operators plan in advance to ensure they understand the transport challenges of the Games, including the Olympic Route Network, and take steps to reduce, re-route, re-time or re-mode deliveries wherever possible. Road ‘hotspot’ maps for each day of the Games, and data which allows operators to check whether individual postcodes are affected, along with the Code of Practice, are available at tfl.gov.uk/2012

6. Over 200 free TfL workshops, both inside and outside the capital, have been on offer since January to help hauliers and their customers from across all sectors continue to operate effectively this summer. To apply for a place, businesses should visit Freight 2012 where there is a full list of workshop dates, times and locations. Businesses should email freight@tfl.gov.uk to book a place.

7. Freight operators and their customers are being targeted with a major campaign, launched at the end of February, to ensure supplies keep moving during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 16-week marketing campaign urges people who make or receive deliveries in Games transport ‘hotspot’ areas to plan ahead so they can continue to operate effectively and profitably this summer. The advertising is in a variety of locations including on petrol station fuel pump nozzles, at motorway service stations, at major ports, and on radio stations and in trade magazines.

8. The freight industry is vital to the success of London. Approximately 280,000 freight journeys take place within London on a typical weekday, delivering to some 290,000 businesses and 7.8 million residents.

9. Road freight; deliveries, collections and servicing activity accounts for 17 per cent of Greater London’s traffic and this is predicted to rise to 25 per cent of total traffic by 2030.

10. 89 per cent of London’s freight is moved by road and 6.4 per cent of London’s employment is freight related, making it a significant business sector, crucial to the London-wide economy.

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Transport for London today released the results of a series of trials of out-of-hours deliveries conducted with a number of London boroughs, and a range of businesses including supermarkets, pubs and hotels in advance of the London 2012 Games.

The businesses are based in areas where the Games will have the biggest impact, and during the trials they all followed TfL’s new draft Code of Practice and asked their suppliers to do the same.

The draft code, which is available at www.tfl.gov.uk/2012outofhoursdeliveries and was developed in partnership with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Noise Abatement Society (NAS), sets out practical tips on how both drivers and those receiving the goods can work together to make deliveries as quietly as possible.

TfL is making the draft code available now, but is asking the freight industry, other interested parties, and the London boroughs that have not already taken part in the trials to share their feedback on it. A final version of the Code of Practice will be published early in the New Year.

Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “The London 2012 Games will offer a wealth of great business opportunities, but companies based in – or delivering to – affected areas need to start making plans now if they are to benefit.  Busier roads at peak times and restrictions on parts of London’s road network during the Games mean that their deliveries could be delayed or disrupted if they don’t plan ahead.

“Many companies are already coming up with creative solutions, from stocking up on non-perishable goods to consolidating their deliveries with neighbouring businesses.  Our trials have demonstrated that out-of-hours deliveries are also a viable option that businesses may want to consider. We would strongly urge those businesses and freight operators following this approach to adhere to the draft Code of Practice to help ensure that out-of-hours deliveries are carried out with minimum disruption to local residents.”

During 10 weeks worth of out-of-hours deliveries, all the participating businesses reported that revising their delivery times worked well with no complaints from residents about noise. 

The trial at the Marks and Spencer Simply Food store on Earl’s Court Road, conducted in close liaison with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, found that:

• On-site auditing by borough noise team officers was successful in monitoring driver and store staff behaviour, and checking that the draft Code of Practice was being followed;
• Changes made during the first week of the trial, for example fitting protective coverings to the metal chains on roll cages, ensured that noise levels were kept to a minimum;
• Despite the store being deemed a sensitive site, no complaints from residents were received during three weeks of deliveries made at 4.30am.

Dave Hordern, Marks and Spencer Logistics Manager, said: “This has been a very important trial for M&S, as it provided the opportunity to have a ‘dry run’ of what we’ll need to do, both at this store and elsewhere, during the Games period. Most importantly, it proved that the Code of Practice works and it is possible to deliver through the night in sensitive areas as long as we demonstrate best practice and use common sense. We intend to roll out the Code of Practice for night-time deliveries across London.”

Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London, said: “TfL’s trials reinforce earlier trials undertaken across England by FTA, the NAS and others and prove that if done properly residents’ rights to a good night’s sleep needn’t be taken away.

“Given the immense challenge faced by commercial vehicle operators during the Games period, off-peak deliveries are going to be unavoidable so we would urge operators to adopt this best practice guidance to help them and the companies that rely on them make this Olympic-sized challenge – of keeping up with heightened demand in a severely restricted environment – an Olympic-sized success.”

Lisa Lavia, Managing Director of the Noise Abatement Society, said “TfL’s out-of-hours delivery trials will help continue to establish the viability of quiet deliveries and the conditions under which they are feasible. Protecting the rights of local residents is of paramount importance. Given the significant health and environmental gains to be made, it is critical to establish feasible and sustainable quiet out-of-hours delivery practices. Doing so will also lessen day-time disturbance and enable quieter deliveries to become accepted as the norm. Introducing quiet delivery practices now, under strict guidelines and independent monitoring, ensures that the public will be protected throughout.’’

The London boroughs involved in the first round of trials were the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Redbridge and Westminster City Council. A further five trials will be completed early in the New Year.

The report reveals that:

“The Government will consider the requirement for further guidance on quiet night time deliveries. The Government will ask the Noise Abatement Society and the Freight Transport Association to build on the Quiet Deliveries Demonstration Scheme by expanding the existing Scheme’s best practice guidance into a toolkit that includes standards for quiet night time deliveries; and identify if additional government guidance is needed to promote uptake.”

The NAS hopes that continued investigation of the types of constraints and requirements for seeking relaxation of delivery hours, will help to advance the potential benefits of introducing mindful, quiet out-of-hours deliveries.

Gloria Elliott, Chief Executive, Noise Abatement Society said:

“The Noise Abatement Society welcomes the opportunity to share in the process of contributing pragmatic guidelines for quiet deliveries to help stimulate growth while protecting the interests of the public.

The QDDS trials have been a significant landmark on the journey to achieving the ultimate goal of out-of-hours delivery without disturbance. However, protecting the rights of local residents is of paramount importance. Given the significant health and environmental gains to be made, it is critical to establish feasible and sustainable quiet out-of-hours delivery practices with increased investment from industry and positive co-ordinated input from Local Authorities.

Doing so will also lessen day-time disturbance and enable quieter deliveries to become accepted as the norm. Further establishment of quiet delivery practices now, under strict guidelines and independent monitoring, ensures that the public will be protected throughout.’’

For more information:

View the full Logistics Growth Review package

The Government has also announced a significant new tranche of investment in the transport network across the country as part of the National Infrastructure Plan. This can be found at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/national_infrastructure_plan2011.htm.

The link to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, which contains a number of additional measures targeted at small and medium sized businesses and construction firms, is http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011_documents.htm; and the link to the Growth press notice is at:  http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_135_1.htm