Case Study: Retrospective BS4142 Noise Assessment

Introduction

South Cambridgeshire Hall instructed a commerical property in Haslingfield to provide a BS4142 noise assessment report.

In this report the noise levels of several sources were sought.

Retrospective Noise assessment

Planning permission was granted to this commercial property for building extensions; however, the extraction system was omitted. (The extraction duct is visible in the background of the image on this page.)

An Unique and Different Noise Assessment Criterium

What made this noise assessment unique and different to all other noise assessments was a clause in the South Cambridgeshire Hall Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which stated that the noise level at the boundary of the property must be within 3dB of the background noise level.

This Noise Assessment vs BS4142

In the case of a conventional BS4142 noise assessment, the noise is gauged at one metre from the nearest sensitive receptor (NSR), unlike in this case - at the boundary of the property.

Result

Due to the measured noise level being over the background noise level by a considerable margin, South Cambridgeshire Hall opted for a new planning application for the extraction system.

Discussion

We have provided several retrospective noise assessment reports to local planning authorities (LPAs) where planning permssion was granted.

Unfortunately, in this case, the noise level exceeded the background noise level by too great a margin that the LPA requested a new planning application for a new extraction system.

Further Information

For more information or help with a retrospective noise assessment, please call us on 01908 643433.