ProPG: Noise & Planning - The Latest Guidance

The presentation was on the recently published ProPG: Planning and Noise.

What is ProPG: Planning & Noise? A consultant’s view on the updated 2017 documentation.

Noise, and the problems associated with it, can profoundly impact communities. When undertaking a residential development, noise consideration is a crucial aspect of the planning process.

Although planning professionals from both the development side of the equation and the local authority side are usually happy to work hand-in-hand and earnestly commit to noise considerations, government changes to policy have made this harder, as transparent guidance on how these policy changes should be enacted took longer to percolate. 

In this article, we’ll look at ProPG: Planning & Noise from a consultant’s point of view, shaped by the associations, institutes and local authorities noted below, and seek to lay out the guidance sought by the planning community on both sides.

Acoustic Ltd. present in consultation with local authorities

We presented a CPD & workshop to the Environmental Health Protection Departments of Bath & NE Somerset, Mendip, Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire and Stroud, based on the ProPG: Planning & Noise document released in June 2017. This offered local authorities’ Environmental Health Protection Departments a consultant’s view on the document, and in turn, sought their feedback on how we should use and adopt the updated guidance.

This was prepared by a Working Group which included representatives from the ANC (Association of Noise Consultants), IOA (Institute of Acoustics), CIEH (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and planning practitioners from local authorities.

 What changed with the 2017 ProPG: Planning & Noise documentation?

When the government introduced a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF) in 2012, the crucial Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) found in PPG 24 (Planning & Noise) was repealed. But it wasn’t replaced.

This is what made the update such a headache for planners and developers. Noise is still obviously a disruptive force in planning, causing headaches both metaphorical and literal for local residents and managers alike. Whilst all parties want to protect residents from unnecessary and unacceptable disruption, the guidelines for how to achieve this were no longer transparent.

Why is it important to consider ProPG: Planning & Noise at an early stage in your development?

Minimising missteps can increase the chance that your residential development receives planning consent, and reduces the timeline – therefore reducing costs. 

The disruptive power of noise is strong for those living with it, ranging from simple distraction and annoyance to severe impacts on mental health. Noise can reduce sleep quality, and even impact learning, effecting the brain even when the ears tune it out as ‘background noise’.

If you can consider and manage noise, there are manifold benefits that can be reaped. Alongside improving the quality of life for residents and local communities, noise reduction and good acoustic design can create good will which can be a priceless relationship built with your community.

What is ProPG: Planning & Noise?

The responsibility to minimise noise was still present – paragraph 123 of the NPPF states that decisions should “avoid noise from giving rise to significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life as a result of a new development” – but without the technical guidance, a number of professional bodies decided to band together. It lay at the industry’s feet to unilaterally establish how these regulations could be upheld across the industry and throughout the planning process. 

In 2017, a collaborative group including the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC), Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and Chartered Institute of Environment Health (CIEH) worked to create a document called the Professional Practice Guidance on Planning & Noise – ProPG for short – to encourage considered and future-conscious design practices. It intends to fulfil the requirements and regulations laid out in the Noise Planning Policy Framework (NPFF) and the Noise Policy Statement for England (NPSE).

ProPG: Stage 1 and Stage 2

In order to be concise and approachable for users, and clearly communicate the best ways for them to incorporate technical considerations into their praxis, ProPG splits their professional guidance into Stage 1 and Stage 2.

ProPG: Stage 1

ProPG Stage 1 covers the initial site noise risk assessment.  It covers a sound level survey, meant to understand the existing noise scape, covering a “typical worst case” 24-hour period. To determine the ‘worst case’, measurements might have to be taken over a few days, to really ensure that a reasonable ‘worst case’ has been established. These measurements will then establish the potential effects that noise could have on future residents if the design went forward with no noise mitigation measures in place. All of these considerations must be surroundings-specific; it’s worth noting that noise level expectations and tolerances will vary greatly dependent on locality, from rural village to urban hub. The ProPG allows these measurements to be flexibly interpreted, taking into account these further considerations about the wider context of the works.  

ProPG: Stage 2

Stage 2 is a systematic consideration of four design processes:

• Element 1 – demonstrating a “Good Acoustic Design Process”
• Element 2 – observing “Internal Noise Level Guidelines”
• Element 3 – “External Amenity Area Noise Assessment”
• Element 4 – Consideration of “Other Relevant Issues”

Having identified potential noise level risks in Stage 1, Stage 2 achieves the design required by the NPPF and NPSE following good acoustic design processes. 

The approach is underpinned by the preparation and delivery of an “Acoustic Design Statement” (ADS). Noise practitioners will then have a choice of one of four possible recommendations to present to the decision maker.

In simple terms, the choice of recommendation is as follows: “grant without conditions”, “grant with conditions”, “avoid”, or “prevent”.

Such designs should ensure optimal, site-dependent acoustic conditions, considering the risks outlined in Stage 1. Good acoustic design aims at a holistic approach, considering acoustics outside and in, and giving thought to aspects such as barriers and screening between buildings, or the orientation of buildings, for example, to minimise outside noise too.

“Good Acoustic Design” should comprise of:

• Site layout to include barriers, buffer zones. The aim is to to reduce the need for acoustic mitigation throughout. By appointing an acoustician at the early stage their input on the site layout can be beneficial to the design to reduce the need for noise mitigation later on.
• Shielded facades can be naturally ventilated, the development aim is to provide as many naturally ventilated facades as possible without adversely affecting the internal ambient noise levels of the development.
• On Noisy facades the Internal noise level criteria can be achieved with noise mitigation measures.
• All dwelling should be provided with an amenity area (private, communal or public) with levels below the WHO/BS8233 guidelines

This approach does not differ from the process we currently undertake.

As part of being an established acoustic consultancy, we have been following the process of good acoustic design for all schemes since our inception. We are well versed in providing the fundamentals of a ProPG assessment or any other assessment required which considers noise and acoustics.

The consensus at the workshop was that the ProPG reinforces a number of other standards and assessment processes, such as British Standard 8233:2014 (BS8233) and World Health Organisations Guidelines on Noise (WHO1999).

Although helpful in ensuring noise is considered at an early stage, the majority of local authorities were more concerned with the final outcomes of the assessment than the initial noise risk assessment to ensure a development is sustainable and residential amenity is not adversely affected.

Ultimately, we considered that the new guidance will enable planning and development professionals to more easily take decisions to best benefit all interested parties, from residents and communities to developers – something which will benefit all those who would’ve been exposed to problematic noise levels and its effects. After years without guidance, the ProPG finally makes that possible to achieve across the industry. 

Need acoustic planning advice? Get in touch with Acoustic Ltd today for professional input and advice for your project and its acoustics.