WIREDGOV

65/10 New evidence has been provided to help road and rail operators decide on the best way to deal with the impact of noise in the 23 largest urban areas, and near to major roads and railways across the country.

Target areas have been identified through a series of noise maps, and the relevant authority will investigate these areas to see what further noise mitigation can be carried out.

Authorities can propose measures such as sound barriers alongside roads, better road surfaces, and lower speed limits for drivers. Insulation such as secondary glazing might also be installed in affected homes.

Also published today, the Noise Policy Statement for England (NPSE) sets out noise management policy for the first time in the form of the Government’s long term vision to manage noise and improve health and quality of life.

Environment Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said:

“Noise pollution can have a real impact on people’s lives and their health. We can’t just turn down the volume along major transport routes, which millions of people use every day, but we’re asking for local solutions to make sure the effects of noise are properly managed, in order to improve health and quality of life.”

Notes to editors:

1. Under the Environmental Noise Directive, ‘Noise Action Plans’ are to be set up in the following 23 urban areas, or ‘agglomerations’: Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Coventry, Hull, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Portsmouth, The Potteries (including Cheshire East, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stoke on Trent), Preston, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, Southend, Teeside,Tyneside, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

2. The noisiest areas of England were identified through Defra’s series of “noise maps”, which established noise levels through computer modelling. More background can be found at http://services.defra.gov.uk/wps/portal/noise/ and clicking on “Maps and charts”.

3. Noise action plans and the Noise Policy Statement for England can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/noise

4. The process of establishing Quiet Areas will begin in July 2010.

5. The Noise Policy Statement for England is intended to make explicit the underlying implicit principles and aims within current policy documents, legislation and guidance.

Contacts:

Defra Press Office
Phone: 020 7238 6600
NDS.DEFRA@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Tom Briggs
Phone: 020 7238 6140
tom.briggs@defra.gsi.gov.uk