Policy
Environmental Noise Policy is driven by European legislation. The long term objective of the EU 6th Action Programme - Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice is "to achieve reduction of the number of people regularly affected by long-term high noise levels from an estimated 100 million people in the year 2000, by around 10% in 2010 and by 20% in 2020"
The Environmental Noise Directive has no quantative goal, but an ongoing programme of noise mapping and noise action planning working on "preventing or reducing noise exposure and preserving environmental noise quality where currently good."
Find out more about environmental noise policy below:
National Noise Strategy
A consultation document outlining a Noise Strategy for England is expected to be published in 2008. This will be the culmination of a programme of work set out by Defra in 2001 in 'Towards and Ambient Noise Strategy'. A neighbourhood noise strategy was initiated and in Spring 2006 and Defra announced that there would be a single noise strategy covering neighbour, neighbourhood and ambient noise. A large body of research has been undertaken to inform the development of the strategy. Click here for further details.
Noise is a transboundary problem, and we would like to see an integrated approach to noise across the UK, and across government departments.
Environmental Protection UK's Ten Targets for Tranquillity set out what we hope a strategic, integrated approach to noise across the UK will achieve.
Our Noise Policy Timetable will be published soon, providing information on what's happening in noise.
Noise Mapping in the UK
Noise mapping is used to model outdoor noise levels. Noise maps are contour maps showing where areas are relatively noisey and quiet. Noise mapping has been undertaken in various forms. Our main concern currently is the strategic noise mapping being under taken across Europe to fufill the obligations of the Enviornmental Noise Directive.
Under the Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC (END) noise action planning sets out a procedure designed to manage the effects of noise from transport, road traffic, rail traffic, air traffic and from sites of industrial activity and to reduce it if necessary, which will avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects of exposure on people.
The END required noise mapping to be completed for major cities by the end of 2007 and the mapping will be used to inform measures to manage noise where levels are found to be problematic. Noise Action Plans must be also drawn up, in consultation with the public, for all major cities by July 2008.
To comply with the Environmental Noise Directive (END) and the Environmental Noise Regulations, Noise Maps have been developed for Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. Further details are available at:
See our
Briefing on Noise Action Planning (Feb 2008)