Exposure to loud or annoying noise has long been associated with disturbance, stress and anxiety, so its fitting that the new World Health Organisation(WHO) Environmental Noise Guidelines for Europe are published today, World Mental Health Day. Noise is not just an annoyance, and these new guidelines document stronger evidence of the impacts noise exposure can have on our cardiovascular and metabolic health. WHO rank environmental noise as a serious threat to public health, second only […]

Shhhh!!! Project DeStress, run by Dr Sarah Payne at Heriot-Watt University, is a research project exploring quiet urban outdoor places and their health-promoting properties. For creating healthy, sustainable societies, preserving quiet can be just as important as reducing noises Project DeStress aims to raise awareness to the public, practitioners, and stakeholders about the important value of quiet places in cities. Step one in this project is to identify where and what the public think quiet areas […]

New research shows a third of London’s parks are severely impacted by traffic noise. At the beginning of this week CPRE London (the London branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England) published the results of a survey of traffic noise in 885 London parks. Neil Sinden and Alice Roberts of CPRE London summarise the findings. This report – “Traffic Noise in London Parks” marks the launch of a new campaign by CPRE London called Tranquil […]

That noise from transport sources affects our health is acknowledged by the World Health Organisation and the Chief Medical Officer for England. Expansion of airports and the reduction of the night time quiet period means more of us could be exposed to aircraft niose for longer.  John Gulliver, Professor of Environmental and Exposure Sciences at University of Leicester gives and overview of the impacts of transport noise and introduces new studies into the health effects […]

In recent weeks we’ve come across several stories where students living in shared houses – HMOs – are causing noise problems in communities. In  Durham  regular student parties have led to residents changing the rooms they sleep in to avoid noise. One is even reported to be sleeping in his bath in an effort to get some peace. In Brighton residents are calling for tighter regulation on houses occupied by students to reduce the blight […]

The Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs say that activities during Noise Action Week are one of the best ways to tackle neighbour noise in Northern Ireland. They also recommend education, through the Noise Statistics Report, and the general work of district councils, to be appropriate ways of preventing noise issues. This advice is offered with publication of noise complaint statistics showing complaints in Northern Ireland rose by 13% last year. Noise Complaint Statistics […]

Reducing road transport noise is one of the environmental improvements called for in a new report published by the Campaign for Better Transport(CfBT). “Roads and the Environment” is, they say, a ‘source book of ideas for making our roads, old and new, fit more sensitively into the landscapes and ecosystems through which they pass’. The report draws on case studies, and uses examples of improvements to existing roads that could make our road network better […]

Many homeowners – particularly in areas popular with tourists – let their homes for a few nights or weeks to make some extra money. Most of the time this works for both visitors and homeowners. However, in some cases casual lets can cause noise and nuisance problems for neighbours. Earlier this year, the problem was highlighted in Liverpool, where student accommodation is now let to summer party people. This led councillors to pass a motion […]

Headlines in local and national press often blame noise complaints for the closure music venues. There are times when a venue and its neighbours can’t coexist – but planning and building good relationships can go a long way towards enabling peaceful coexistence between entertainment premsies and neighbours. Noise Action Week is an opportunity for local authorities, venues, performers and neighbours to listen to each other when it comes to noise and create a healthy community […]

Noise Action Week 2018 offers a timely opportunity for everyone involved in noise management – including local councils, housing providers, acoustics professionals as well as communities blighted by noise – to raise awareness of the cost of noise in our neighbourhoods to our health.   The week is also an opportunity for those involved in activities with the potential to cause noise problems – whether its building work or a music event – to demonstrate they’re […]