CALL FOR ENTRIES for ‘Noise Oscars’
John Connell Technology Award, sponsored by the IoA
In anticipation of the prestigious 11th annual John Connell Awards – dubbed the ‘Noise Oscars’ – providers of quiet technologies are now being invited to submit applications to the Noise Abatement Society.
The Institute of Acoustics John Connell Technology Award, established in 2010, recognises and encourages the development of new or enhanced products demonstrating significant technological advancement, and organisations demonstrating a history of sustained innovation across product lines to resolve noise pollution problems.
To meet the strict judging criteria, submissions for the Technology Award should describe:
1. The degree of innovation, technological advancement and sustained commitment to reducing noise pollution through product development
2. Evidence of overall solutions and impact including – target and desired goals and outcomes – measurement against agreed standards – effectiveness in the mitigation of noise pollution
3. Placement of the product(s) in the business context: how it helps to achieve sustainability targets (lowering noise pollution)
4. Any additional environmental benefits achieved
All submissions should be sent to johnconnellawards@noise-abatement.com with Technology Award’ noted in the subject line. Closing date for submissions is 5.00pm on Thursday 27th October 2011.
Speaking about the award, Trevor Cox, President of the Institute of Acoustics, said “We are delighted to once again be sponsors of the John Connell Technology Award. Industry plays a critical role in reducing noise pollution. Developing new, innovative low noise products and solutions is essential if we are to protect the public and the environment from the cacophony of human activity.”
The awards are named in honour of the Society’s founder, John Connell OBE, who successfully lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960 when noise became a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK.
The ceremony will take place at the Palace of Westminster, on the evening of Tuesday 8th November 2011 and will be hosted by Mike Weatherly MP for Hove and Portslade on behalf of the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) Trustees, and are designed to recognise and promote innovative ideas and initiatives that have made a positive impact on the reduction of excessive noise in the community, helping to improve the aural environment.
The John Connell Technology Award is sponsored by The Institute of Acoustics, and has a judging panel, comprised of:
• John Hinton OBE, Chair of Judging Panel, past President of The Institute of Acoustics (2008-2010), on behalf of the IoA
• Gloria Elliott, Chief Executive, the Noise Abatement Society
• Max Dixon, Town planner and urbanist specialising in noise and soundscape management, formerly of the Greater London
• Stephen Crosher, consultant and technology expert, Fleet Renewables
• Alan Blissett, Environmental Health practitioner, Southwark Council
Gloria Elliott, Chief Executive, the Noise Abatement Society said, “We are thrilled to welcome the Institute of Acoustics as generous sponsors for the second year of the John Connell Technology Award. By working together in this way with industry, trade associations, government, local government and public bodies we can help to further the uptake of quiet alternatives to traditionally noisy solutions thereby protecting the public and reducing noise pollution.”
SOUNDING BRIGHTON Innovative Sonic Experiments at Brighton & Hove’s White Night
SOUNDING BRIGHTON, supported by the European funded COST Action, is a co-commission with the Noise Abatement Society for Brighton & Hove White Night. A series of sonic artworks, produced especially for the occasion, will challenge notions of sound in public spaces. The works will extend the Noise Abatement Society’s pioneering initiative, Sounding Brighton: they will provoke debate and initiate innovative explorations to help solve noise disturbance in urban environments. This project is part of White Night’s commitment to ‘new work’ and ‘new approaches’.
The artists and experts who have been chosen for the White Night project all have a gift for public engagement and an accessible message/medium through which to communicate it. The work created for White Night will be of particular interest to sound artists, designers and acoustic ecologists – as well as the participating public.
CONTEXT
In modern life, we are continually bombarded by noises, and listening has, for many of us, become a Cinderella sense. However, we can develop new ways of listening – and take more control of our listening.
Those in charge of the design, management and use of cities must take more responsibility for the sonic implications of their actions. We need to take as much care of our soundscapes as of townscapes and landscapes. Practical approaches towards better soundscapes can be explored by engaging audiences in new ways of experiencing the richness and creative power of sound – and demonstrating how it can be viewed as a valuable ‘resource’.
Within the White Night Festival’s theme of Utopia, Sounding Brighton will present innovative, participatory installations aimed at encouraging members of the community to expand their creative engagement with sound. It will raise awareness of new possibilities for quality soundscapes through immersive sonic experiences, using artistic and musical interpretations. There will also be a programme of interactive lectures.
THE PROGRAMME
WEST STREET STORY
a 3D outdoor soundscape installation, transforming the atmosphere and ambience in the heart of Brighton’s cacophonous clubbing area
The installation is being created by Martyn Ware of The Illustrious Company. Martyn, a founder member of The Human League and Heaven 17, is a musician committed to helping the public understand positive soundscaping. Situated in part of West Street, in the heart of Brighton’s night life, his installation will consist of two rows of speakers creating a 3D soundscape, through which people can walk. Martyn will present a combination of both recorded and live sounds from a kiosk at the side of the street. His soundscapes will present a contrast to the raucous disharmony so frequently heard in lively areas at night, and will be designed to connect with visitors to the area and residents, as well as those exiting the clubs.
COME TOGETHER
a special event exploring ‘sound and rapport’,
in Brighton University’s Sallis Benney Theatre, Grand Parade Campus
Audio from West Street Story, and live film footage of the crowds in the West Street area, will be broadcast by Driftwood Productions at Come Together. Here, psychobiologist and communications expert Dr Harry Witchel will facilitate three entertaining, interactive, masterclasses about Body Language, Music and Social Territory. These will enable participants to analyse the effects of the soundscape on the body language and behaviour of people in general, as well as those filmed during White Night. Dr Witchel, from Brighton and Sussex Medical School, is also well known as a media personality and body language commentator for Big Brother. He is author of You Are What You Hear.
In the adjoining gallery, Brighton University is staging Sounding out the Museum – Peter Vogel Retrospective Exhibition, the first exhibition in the UK of Vogel’s pioneering and influential sound sculptures, which are activated by the movement, gestures and sound emanating from audiences as they enter the space.
INTERACTIVE LECTURES IN BRIGHTON’S INDEPENDENT COFFEE HOUSES
Julian Treasure and Dr John Drever, both sound experts, will run discussions, as part of a wider programme for White Night involving independent minded thinkers. They will demonstrate how certain sounds, which are fitting in one space, are disturbances in another.
Julian Treasure of The Sound Agency will discuss Utopia Sounds: In our louder and louder world, he asks “Are we are losing our listening?” Julian will share ways to re-tune our ears for conscious listening – to other people and the world around us.
In Creation Power, Dr John Drever from Goldsmiths, University of London will illustrate how designers of gadgets and machines, and the individuals using them, should be aware of the impact of sounds associated with these products and the ways in which they affect people – and spaces.
BRIGHTON REMIXED: Soundscape installation, Imperial Arcade
Esther Springett, sound artist and facilitator, is working with Dv8 Training Brighton, who run innovative, creative and media based training for young people. Esther is helping a group of 16-18 year olds to explore their own soundscapes, listen in new ways and learn practical, technical skills, which will open up new opportunities for them in the creative industries. Their White Night soundscape installation, the culmination of this vocational based learning project, will feature their recordings ‘remixing the sounds of Brighton’, presented through an audiovisual display.
* * * * *
Do Something Different in the Middle of the Night
Brighton & Hove White Night: dusk to dawn, marking the end of British Summer Time
6.00pm Saturday 29 October to 10.00am Sunday 30 October, 2011
A contemporary, all night, free arts festival
Unique in the UK, attracting over 40,000 participants
Throughout Brighton & Hove: in the city’s cultural venues, cafes, parks, squares, streets,
‘pop up’ spaces, sporting facilities – even on smart phones and iPods
Brighton & Hove White Night 2011 celebrates the theme of ‘Utopia’, featuring more than 60 indoor and outdoor cultural events, all created especially for the night.
White Night is a “cultural reclaiming of the streets”. Venues, artists, programmers and curators create new work, and experiment with new approaches for new audiences. This is a microcosm of the city’s creativity, all in one night
The Noise Abatement Society is a UK Registerd Charity whose remit is to find solutions to noise pollution problems. Sounding Brighton is its pioneering initiative working with local stakeholders, the COST Action TD0804 Soundscapes of European Cities and Landscapes and ISO Working Group 54 on Perceptual assessment of soundscape quality to explore using soundscape approaches to help solve noise disturbance in urban environments.
Brighton & Hove White Night is led by Brighton & Hove Arts Commission. It is supported by Brighton & Hove City Council; ACE (SE); funded by Interreg IV A France (Channel) England; co-financed by ERDF, and is sister festival to Nuit Blanche Amiens. It is inspired by the all night arts festivals in major European cities, particularly Nuits Blanches Paris, Madrid, Brussels & Riga.
For further press information, please contact: Lianne Jarrett Associates, info@lja.uk.com, (+44) 01273 674692
Denmark picks up the baton for night-time deliveries
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) met with a delegation including its Danish equivalent, International Transport Denmark (ITD), and representatives from the bread company Lantmännen Schulstad and the Danish Transport Authority in London this week to discuss the introduction of night-time deliveries toDenmark. Along with the Noise Abatement Society, the Department for Transport, Transport and Travel Research (TTR) and Sainsbury’s, FTA shared the results of the recently completed Quiet Deliveries Demonstration Scheme (QDDS) which took place in England and gave the visitors an insight into the practicalities, benefits and challenges of delivering goods out-of-hours.
Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London, said:
“There is a strong appetite among the Danes to introduce night-time delivery trials similar to those which we completed earlier this year. The demonstrable environmental, economic and road safety benefits of delivering goods out-of-hours are hard to ignore and we look forward to working with them more closely to help them develop a robust methodology that works for them.”
Earlier this year, Transport Minister Mike Penning gave his backing to night-time deliveries as a ‘win-win’ for the environment and business, stating that if done correctly, delivering out-of-hours need not represent a nuisance to residents.
Mogens Therkelsen, owner of the transport company H P Therkelsen and ITD’s chairman, said:
“We were impressed by the rigorous and scientific nature of the QDDS trials and it was invaluable to learn first-hand how FTA, NAS and the Department for Transport worked together to create fair and meaningful trials. We hope to apply these experiences carefully as we look to do the same in Denmark.”
Four of the six QDDS trials (which were project managed by TTR) were fully completed, while two were delayed by factors and planning restrictions beyond the QDDS’s control. Encouragingly, as well as evidence of improved fuel consumption, no residential complaints were logged in two of the completed trials and where nominal complaints were raised in the remainder, swift remedial action was found to be entirely satisfactory.
Morag White, Sainsbury’s Environment Manager for Logistics, said:
“As a responsible retailer we are always looking to improve our logistics operations and ensure that we use innovation to support deliveries. Our meeting with ITD was encouraging and it’s key that we continue to engage with the industry and stakeholders to share our best practice.”
Managing director of the Noise Abatement Society, Lisa Lavia said:
“Interest in the QDDS trials is growing, with several countries seeking to adapt the scheme locally. We know that if best practice is shared and strict guidelines to protect the rights of residents are adhered to, then night-time deliveries are an efficient and pragmatic solution to a growing problem.”
FTA backs night-time deliveries as a key to mitigating some of the expected disruption to the supply chain caused by the Olympics next year, when there will be more freight to deliver and less time to deliver it in.
Sound Annoyance – the online research study
The NAS supports an important online research study to measure sound annoyance – the way we hear it and interpret it
Leading researchers investigating “sound annoyance” at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, are calling for better legislation to protect the health and lives of noise pollution sufferers.
The Noise Abatement Society is supporting an important online survey to help researchers better determine the characteristics of sound annoyance: how it is experienced and why. The research is being conducted by field leaders Professor Tjeerd Andringa and Jolie Lanser and is aimed at those who are experiencing sound annoyance in their day-to-day lives. The survey can be found at www.soundannoyance.com
Andringa and Lanser are convinced that we do not yet fully understand the causes of sound annoyance and Lanser has developed a questionnaire to investigate how severe annoyance can be caused by particular sources. “We are looking for common histories between people who are annoyed by sound, and how sound sources effect their daily lives. Of course there are important differences between individuals, but there are also many commonalities: for example there are only a few sound sources that really annoy people. The results of the online questionnaire will go a long way to help us better understand what properties make particular sources so annoying.”
Gloria Elliott, chief executive of the Noise Abatement Society, agrees. “It is important that we learn to manage our soundscapes responsibly and sensitively in collaboration with community stakeholders. It is not just the levels of noise that annoy people, but their quality, duration and the context in which they are heard. We look forward with anticipation to the results of this survey and would encourage participation by as many people as possible.”
-END-
Government Backed Trials Show Quiet Night-Time Deliveries Work
The realisation of the environmental, economic and road safety benefits of delivering goods out-of-hours has taken a significant step forward with the results of the Quiet Delivery Demonstration Scheme (QDDS) trials, announced today at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in London at a conference attended by Transport Minister Mike Penning.
Developed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) and the Department for Transport, and managed by Transport and Travel Research (TTR), the QDDS saw six trials take place at retail outlets across England in 2010. Stores in Dorset, West Sussex, Staffordshire, Walsall, London and Berkshire looked to illustrate the potential benefits from curfew relaxations for quiet deliveries, while still protecting local residents’ right to a good night’s sleep.
Retailers were asked to adopt a consistent methodology, which included engaging with both local authorities and residents, installing noise monitoring equipment, introducing a ‘driver charter’ and a rigorous site assessment to reduce noise, and to compare and analyse the results before and after each trial.
Four of the six trials were fully completed, while two have been delayed by factors and planning restrictions beyond the QDDS’s control. Encouragingly, as well as evidence of improved fuel consumption, no residential complaints were logged in two of the completed trials and where nominal complaints were raised in the remainder, swift, remedial action was found to be entirely satisfactory.
Transport Minister Mike Penning said:
“This shows that by following proven methodology shop owners and supermarkets can receive deliveries out-of-hours without being a nuisance to residents. Less congestion, better air quality and safer roads means a win-win situation. I look forward to seeing more examples of retailers and local authorities working together to explore the mutual benefits of quiet deliveries.”
FTA backs night-time deliveries as a key to mitigating some of the expected disruption to the supply chain caused by the Olympics next year, when there will be more freight to deliver and less time to deliver it in.
Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London, said:
”These six case studies are invaluable in the future development of a framework through which quiet night-time deliveries can be rolled out successfully and on a case-by-case basis. These trials really show the essential role retailers must play in engaging with their local authorities and residents to demonstrate the benefits of out-of-hours deliveries.
“Retailers don’t want to disturb residents, who are also their customers too, and by providing real solutions we have come up with more than just a compromise – we have shown that journey times, fuel economy and air quality, as well as stock turnaround, can be improved without affecting local residents’ right to a good night’s sleep.”
Gloria Elliott, Chief Executive of the Noise Abatement Society, said:
“The QDDS trials are a significant landmark on the journey to achieving the ultimate goal of out-of-hours delivery without disturbance. 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. Introducing quiet delivery practices now, under strict guidelines and independent monitoring, ensures that the public will be protected throughout.’’
The view or download a copy of the full results visit http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/quiet-deliveries-demonstration-scheme
Notes for editors
Background to Curfew Relaxation for Quiet Deliveries
HGV movements in urban areas are often constrained during night-time and/or weekend periods by local regulations put in place to avoid noise impacts. Restrictions are imposed by local authorities to protect residents from noise and other nuisance during the late evening and early morning.
However, they have the effect of increasing the number of deliveries that have to be scheduled during peak traffic conditions, thereby increasing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and reducing air quality in the areas concerned. The restrictions also increase the road safety risks for vulnerable groups such as schoolchildren and cyclists by concentrating freight traffic into the hours when such users are competing for road space.
Delivery restrictions can also create particular difficulties for retailers who need early morning deliveries, for example to ensure that fresh produce is available on the shelves in time for store opening hours. If such night-time or out-of-hours delivery restrictions could be relaxed or removed where appropriate, there are significant potential benefits for society, primarily from reduced congestion. To realise these benefits, retailers need to work in close co-operation with local authorities to agree the conditions under which the authorities would be prepared to relax or remove delivery restrictions.
Local authorities would need to ensure no adverse noise impacts prior to relaxing or changing regulations, to establish a clear trigger for the reversal of any relaxation, and to provide for independent verification that the agreed conditions were being respected.
It is envisaged that curfew relaxation would apply only to retailers respecting agreed working practices developed in partnership with the local authority and only within a prescribed area and/or delivery site governed by the local authority.
If successfully embedded, the main long-term benefits of curfew relaxations for the retail sector and wider society in England would be: reduced congestion and better journey time reliability; noise reduction through vehicle technology and improved working practices; lower CO2 emissions (lower fuel consumption through reduced congestion); improved air quality through reduced emissions (through reduced congestion), and; improved local road safety (through the removal of HGVs at peak periods of use by vulnerable groups)
Freight Transport Association
FTA represents the transport needs of UK industry. Its membership is comprised of manufacturers, retailers, logistic companies, hauliers and organisations in the public and private sectors. The Association’s interests are multi-modal and in addition to consigning 90 per cent of freight carried on rail and over 70 per cent of sea and air freight its members operate in excess of 200,000 goods vehicles, approximately half the UK fleet of commercial vehicles.
FTA’s 14,000-plus members operate across all modes of transport – road, rail, air and sea. FTA is one of the largest and leading trade associations in the UK.
For further information please contact FTA’s media team on 01892 552255/01892 552253 or, out of hours, or 07818 450425.
Noise Abatement Society
The objective of the Noise Abatement Society, UK registered charity number 272040, is to raise awareness of, and find solutions to, noise and related pollutants for example light disturbance and air pollution. Our work helps to relieve the physical and mental distress and ill health which noise and related pollutants cause and which profoundly affect public health, productivity, the quality of life and marine and wildlife. The Society was established in 1959 by John Connell OBE who successfully lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960, establishing noise as a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK. For further information please contact: Noise Abatement Society’s press office on 01273 823850 or email at press@noise-abatement.org or visit www.noiseabatementsociety.org
EEA – Searching for Noise Solutions on Awareness Day
To mark the International Noise Awareness Day on 27 April, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) seek submissions for the new European Soundscape Award which will recognise innovative solutions to noise problems.
Exposure to unwanted noise can cause stress and interfere with basic activities such as sleep, rest and study. Prolonged exposure can also trigger illnesses as serious as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This has recently been documented in the report ‘Burden of disease from environmental noise’ from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which estimates that each year Europeans lose at least one million healthy life years due to noise from road traffic alone.
The EEA is teaming up with the Noise Abatement Society to raise awareness about the health impacts of noise and to reward European initiatives that can help reduce excessive noise. Any product, campaign, innovation or scheme offering a creative solution to a noise problem can be nominated for the Award. The Award will be presented for the first time at a prestigious ceremony in London in November 2011.
For more information on how to submit an application, visit the European Soundscape Award webpage. The closing date for applications is 2 September 2011.
About the International Noise Awareness Day
The Centre for Hearing and Communication founded International Noise Awareness Day to promote awareness of the dangers of long-term exposure to noise. This year, the event is taking place on 27 April.
Related content
Good practice guide on noise exposure and potential health effects
Turn down the noise – softening the impact of excess transport noise
Noise Abatement Society new online publication informs the soundtrack of our lives
SOUNDSCAPE – WHERE LIFE SOUNDS GOOD
The Noise Abatement Society is pleased to announce the launch of its flagship online publication – SoundScape, where life sounds good.
The first publication of its kind, this inaugural issue was borne out of the current need to reconnect with the aural environment for the benefit of everyone’s emotional and physical health.
Designed specifically to educate, inform and inspire, the ezine investigates the soundscape, evaluating its influence on our health, wellbeing and environment for the benefit of all life. It brings to the fore technologies, strategies and products that positively affect noise pollution, providing solutions and championing industry best practice.
Both holistic and pragmatic, SoundScape perfectly reflects the ethos of the NAS to help find practical solutions to solve existing noise problems, to safeguard both present and future generations. It takes into account views from academics, activists, designers, industry, parliamentarians and the public, who share their views, experiences and hopes for the future of our aural ecology.
The launch issue pulls into focus the work of real life heroes and warns of a ticking “time-bomb” that will destroy our current teenagers’ hearing if they do not learn to listen responsibly to their mp3 players. Also featured are perceptive opinion pieces on the state of domestic noise in Britain and the need to establish and protect sound ecosystems.
“SoundScape intelligently investigates the sounds that affect our lives. It explores new ways of solving noise problems by researching how sound can be viewed as a ‘resource’ rather than traditional approaches which try to combat noise simply as ‘waste’,” explains Lisa Lavia, NAS managing director and editor-in-chief of SoundScape. “SoundScape puts into context, how we can positively change and enhance the environment for the benefit of our health and wellbeing.”
ENDS
For further information:
Media enquiries email: press@noise-abatement.org
Editorial or Advertising enquiries: soundscape@noise-abatement.org
Soundscape – how do you consider yours?
To consider sound as fluid as the air we breathe, a life force coursing through our planet, is to understand the scope and potency of resonance.
As such, our sensitivity to it needs little explanation, it simply remains that we give this energy source its due diligence. Respecting and protecting our soundscape is a duty beholden to us all.
Soundscape is the aural fabric of our lives. The diverse layers of sounds that weave together to colour the quality of our life experiences.
We can transform our urban soundscapes by sensitive town planning and intelligent forecasting. The same is true for our rural soundscapes which are all too often tainted by noise that travels beyond its source: low-frequency wind farm emissions, train horns, road traffic and low-flying airplanes.
On a personal level, we should be conscious of the noise we emit and how it affects those around us – small steps can make big changes. Just like recycling, we can all work on our daily habits and produce less waste noise. Be mindful not to let the front door slam, not to talk incessantly on our mobile phones in public, and not to let our dogs bark unremittingly.
A journey through soundscape must begin at home. Consider how much noise the kettle makes, how much of our neighbours we hear and how we use music to create atmosphere.
The scientific study of soundscape and acoustic ecology allows us a deeper understanding of the biodiversity and sustainability challenges we face in our world today.
At the NAS we are furthering our commitment to soundscape by publishing an online magazine of the same name in which we will further our resolve to discover, explain and protect it.
NAS CONSULTATION RESPONSE: DECC – Planning for New Energy Infrastructure Revised Draft National Policy Statements for Energy Infrastructure
More generally, some of the wording of the NPSs is imprecise and does not reflect their role as statements of policy rather than provision of background information to the applicant and decision maker. The number of instances is too great to itemize, but for example, in paragraph 2.6.97 of EN-3, where it is evident that offshore piling noise can kill or injure statutorily protected marine mammals, it is insufficient for the NPS to say that monitoring “can be undertaken”. Monitoring should be a requirement in specified circumstances.
Further editing is required if NPSs are to give the required clarity for IPC/MIPU, applicants and communities. However, such editing should not, of course, convey certainty where specific issues remain uncertain. Also, IPC/MIPU and applicants should still be encouraged to use the most up-to-date evidence and best practice, e.g. where there may inevitably be some lag between developing knowledge and NPS review.
The resources available to local planning authorities (LPAs) to participate constructively and in a timely fashion to the decision-making process, remains an issue, particularly the production of Local Impact Reports (LIRs). LIRs are likely to require considerable input from local authority planners, supported by their environmental health colleagues and other specialists.
Local authority staffing is, of course, under increasing pressure from spending cuts. If NPSs are to part of a successful process, Government should reconsider how adequate funding can be provided to support the contribution of LPAs to the process, e.g. from part of applicants’ fees.
click here for our full consultation response
‘Noise Oscars’ Winners Announced
Winners of the 10th annual John Connell Awards, dubbed the ‘Noise Oscars’, were announced by the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) last night at a packed awards ceremony in the House of Commons.
The awards are designed to recognise and promote innovative ideas and initiatives from Local Authorities, industry, individuals and organisations that have made a positive impact on the reduction of excessive noise in the community, helping to improve the aural environment.
They are named in honour of the Society’s founder, John Connell OBE, who successfully lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960 when noise became a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK.
Gloria Elliott, chief executive of the Noise Abatement Society, said:
“We live in an increasingly noisy society and many of us are unaware of the destructive effect that noise pollution can have on health, learning, productivity and quality of life.
“Each of the winners of the John Connell award categories have made an outstanding contribution to creating practical solutions to help reduce noise pollution, enabling us all to benefit from a more harmonious environment.”
The awards were hosted by Mike Weatherly, MP for Hove and Portslade, on behalf of the NAS Trustees. The award winners and categories are:
Local Authority Award, sponsored by quietrevolution™ – this award celebrates initiatives, campaigns and schemes that are shining examples of community co-operation, awareness raising and creative solutions for reducing noise pollution and improving quality of life in the community.
Winner: Sheffield City Council, for its unique way of working with the South Yorkshire Police force to provide a non-uniformed officer to accompany the Council’s Environmental Noise officer when responding to noise complaints. This partnership has enabled strong links to be built with the Local Authority and also with complainants. Since this service has been introduced demand has increased by 58% as the public has become aware of its existence.
Highly commended: Cardiff Council and North Lincolnshire Council
Enterprise Award – this award is given in recognition of exemplary partnership working for the public benefit. In particular it recognises the exceptional dedication of individuals within their roles who go above and beyond accepted standards – those who forge a path for others to follow.
Winner: Thames Valley Police and Neighbourhood Action Groups, for their enterprising cooperation to work together to ensure community priorities were addressed.
Andi Cunningham, Chair of a Vale of the White Horse Neighbourhood Action Group and Andy Boyd, Chief Inspector Thames Valley Police LPA Commander each receive an award for their collaboration which actively tackled problems that were disrupting their communities, such as illegal raves. Their activity lead to positive convictions, making the Vale of the White Horse in Oxfordshire one of the safest place to live in the country.
Innovation Award – this award aims to encourage the development of new solutions to resolve noise pollution problems, using a pioneering approach that addresses this issue from a unique standpoint.
Winner: Joint Local Authority Regulatory Service (JLARS) for its co-operation between local authorities and developers in the construction of the Olympic Park, and to ensure the legacy of collaboration continues long after 2012. JLARS includes the London Boroughs of Hackney, Waltham Forest, Newham and Tower Hamlets and the Olympic Delivery Authority to co-ordinate and standardise local authority regulatory service delivery. JLARS has delivered new ways of cross boundary working, and is being used as a template for other partnerships across the country. Joint working protocols like these can help local councils save money and ensure that they operate more effectively and efficiently in the future.
Technology Award, sponsored by The Institute of Acoustics – this award applauds the vital role that industry can play in reducing noise pollution in our environment.
Winner: Tenant Green Machines for its innovative Green Machines 500ze, a piece of cleaning equipment with a Lithium-ion powered battery pack. It reduces carbon emissions and improves air quality. The Green Machine produces no exhaust fumes or CO2, and its clean air and near silent operation is ideal for enclosed or crowded pedestrian areas such as city centres.
Highly commended: Container Centralen
Trude Adler Award – this award celebrates the unsung heroes who make our world a better – safer, healthier, quieter – place to live and to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.
Winner: Venetia Allan for her invaluable work in helping the Society to raise awareness of the dangers to hearing loss due to MP3 Player misuse and, in particular, developing the UK’s first Key Stage 3 curriculum to help the Society to educate young people about safe listening and hearing health.
Winner: Dominique Czoper for the Boileroom community approach / Live music venue – for her tireless and exemplary work with residents, local authority and community stakeholders to establish and run a thriving music venue with sensitivity, insight and consideration for the local community; and additionally for the curriculum developed to help make musicians and venue owners aware and informed about noise control procedures.
Silent Approach™ Award, sponsored by Brigade Electronics – this award encourages development in the area of reducing noise to the benefit of the community whilst enhancing the environment.
Winner: Southwark Borough Council, Temple and Mace for the glass Temple and Mace ‘Shard’ building, which will be the tallest iconic building in Europe, a “vertical city” with a mix of hotel rooms, offices, apartments and viewing galleries, sited adjacent to Guys Hospital and London Bridge station.
Its construction over a period of three years London Borough of Southwark’s environment protection team played a lead role in trying to minimise the noise impact of the building project on local residential and business communities.
Significant consultation with the council and collaboration with Temple and Mace has resulted in a series of best practice procedures to address the problem of disruption and noise disturbance in a dense urban situation. This has also become a template for other major construction sites in the future.
Europe Award – this new award recognises important initiatives undertaken in Europe to improve the aural environment for the benefit of all. It aims to encourage and disseminate good practices that can assist other European countries embarking on aural improvement programmes, especially in urban environments. The winner of this award is nominated by the Noise Abatement Society.
Winner: City of Stockholm, Soundscape & Acoustic Ecology Pioneers for its work in promoting the importance of soundscape in urban planning and design. Its close collaboration with Stockholm University and the definitive soundscape research group, the city has been host to a number of influential conferences and installations that are leading the way on acoustic ecology and confirming Stockholm as European Green Capital 2010.
Winner: Department of Environment, The Netherlands; PIEK Quiet Delivery Programme for its commitment to the PIEK Scheme, by developing quiet technology so that deliveries during off-peak hours are now possible. This has led to more efficient and considerate delivery methods. The technological enhancements to equipment and the documented best practice techniques of trained staff have also helped to make out of hours deliveries a reality in several other European countries.
10th Anniversary Lifetime Achievement Award – in recognition of our founder, John Connell OBE, and the 10th Anniversary of the Awards in his name, the NAS will honour key individuals who have made outstanding contributions to raising the profile of noise pollution as a critical environmental issue and who have worked tirelessly over the course of their careers to effect solutions for the public benefit.
Winner: Alan Blissett – for his commitment and achievement of 47 years in noise mitigation and prevention. Alan is an Environmental Health Officer in London’s Southwark Council, working tirelessly to effect solutions for the public benefit.
With a sense of commitment and community beyond measure, Alan has worked around the clock mitigating noise for the benefit of local residents. This experience and skill has led him to deliver agendas on Air Quality, Land Remediation and Noise Reduction.
As such he has been a leading member of working parties responsible for production of London Air Quality & Planning Guidance, London Best Practice for Construction Emissions, and EPUK Biomass Guidance.
Winner: Stephen Stansfeld, for his continuing work on the effect noise has on health. Stephen’s research interests include the effects of the physical and social environment on mental health. He completed his PhD examining noise sensitivity and psychiatric disorder in 1989 and has subsequently been involved in many studies examining environmental noise and mental health. He led the West London Schools Study and the Bypass study in North Wales, and more recently was the principal investigator in the well-known European RANCH study on noise and children’s health and cognition.
Winner: Colin Grimwood, for his outstanding services to the acoustics profession. He has been involved with and managed major research projects and he has assisted in the development of some of the most important legislation, guidance and policy documents produced in this country in that time. These include the National Noise Incidence Study, the National Noise Attitude Studies, Planning Policy Guidance document 24 – Planning and Noise; Approved Document E of the Building Regulations and the 1996 Noise Act. More recently he has worked on the development of the Noise Action Plans and the Noise Policy Statement for England that were published earlier this year.
He is currently a technical director at Bureau Veritas as a technical director and is a key member of the group that provides technical advice to the noise and nuisance team at Defra.
For more information on the Awards ceremony, winners and finalists, or to see more photographs of the evening, visit www.noiseabatementsociety.com
ENDS
Media contacts: Sarah Whelband or Emma Batchelor 01732 779 087 or sarahw@westgatecomms.com
Notes to editors
Brigade Electronics – Sponsors of the Silent Approach™ Award
Brigade Electronics is the market leader in vehicle safety systems. Established in 1976, it single-handedly promoted the cause of reversing safety, bringing the very first reversing alarm and rear detection system to Europe and the first rear view camera monitor system to the UK. Today they are still the only company in the world to provide a full range of reversing safety systems for all types of commercial vehicle and mobile plant machinery to protect driver, passenger and pedestrian. For more information visit www.reverseinsafety.co.uk
The Institute of Acoustics – Sponsors of the Technology Award
The Institute of Acoustics is the UK’s professional body for those working in acoustics, noise and vibration. It was formed in 1974 from the amalgamation of the Acoustics Group of the Institute of Physics and the British Acoustical Society (a daughter society of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers). The Institute of Acoustics is a nominated body of the Engineering Council, offering registration at Chartered and Incorporated Engineer levels. The Institute has some 3000 members from a rich diversity of backgrounds, with engineers, scientists, educators, lawyers, occupational hygienists, architects and environmental health officers among their number. For more information visit www.ioa.org.uk
quietrevolution™ – Sponsors of the Local Authority Award
Developers and promoters of wind turbine solutions and the role they play in helping combat climate change. quietrevolution’s aim is to play a leading global role in the local energy revolution and has developed an elegant and innovative vertical axis wind turbine. This cutting edge technology has been designed in response to the growing demand for renewable technologies and demonstrates that turbines can be elegant, quiet and a long-term, cost effective solution for generating energy. For more information visit www.quietrevolution.com
About Noise Abatement Society
The objective of the Noise Abatement Society is to raise awareness of noise and noise-related pollutants (for example, light disturbance and air pollution). Its work helps to find solutions and relieve the physical and mental distress and ill health which noise and related pollutants cause and which profoundly affect public health, productivity, the quality of life and marine and wildlife. The Society was established in 1959 by John Connell OBE, who successfully lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960, establishing noise as a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK. The Society operates a free advice helpline for those people that are suffering from noise nuisance, and don’t know where to turn to find a solution to the problem. The number to call is: 01273 823 850 or email info@noiseabatement.org
