Placemaking needs Good Acoustic Design

In responding to a consultation on a new Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) note on Design and Placemaking for England, the IOA expressed the strong belief that the development of this PPG provides the ideal opportunity for the design process to assist with the effective management of noise, using the principles of Good Acoustic Design. We expressed support for the intent of the draft, with its emphasis on the importance of well-designed places, and we welcomed the recognition that noise can impact development and that it needs to be managed as part of an integrated design process. We advised that following the principles of Good Acoustic Design can reduce the requirement for, and the costs of, noise mitigation measures that may otherwise need to be applied retrospectively to a development. It may also avoid developments not proceeding that could otherwise have been made policy compliant. We put forward a hierarchy of noise management measures, based on the advice in the IOA/CIEH/ANC’s ProPG document from 2017, which we believe developers and local planning authorities should be encouraged, or even required, to follow. We set these out in order of preference:

1. Maximise the spatial separation of noise source(s) and receptor(s)
2. Investigate the necessity and feasibility of reducing existing noise levels and relocating existing noise sources.
3. Use existing topography and existing structures (that are likely to last the expected life of the noise-sensitive scheme) to screen the proposed development site from significant sources of noise.
4. Incorporate noise barriers as part of the scheme to screen the proposed development site from significant sources of noise.
5. Use the layout of the scheme to reduce noise propagation across the site.
6. Use the orientation of buildings and their internal layout to reduce the noise exposure of noise sensitive rooms, e.g. bedrooms and living rooms.
7. Use the building envelope (facade) to mitigate noise to appropriate levels, as required by policy.

We expressed our view that without the inclusion of Good Acoustic Design in this PPG, the current unsatisfactory situation would remain, where developers often present their professional advisers with a fixed layout and simply ask what needs to be done to get a development through the planning system. That approach can lead to less healthy homes, where noise mitigation is limited to closing windows and providing other means of ventilation, which can give rise to overheating issues. In extreme cases, it can hinder the development of housing altogether.

See our full comment on our Consultations page