Sector
Residential Acoustic Consultants
New residential developments will inevitably require planning consent. The grant of planning consent will depend, amongst other things, on the noise climate at the location of the proposed development.
Professional Practice Guidance (ProPG) on Planning and Noise for New Residential Development was published in 2017, jointly by the Institute of Acoustics, the Association of Noise Consultants and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, to provide assistance to developers and planning authorities to ensure that proposals for residential development are correctly assessed.
As expert residential noise consultants we carry out measurements of existing noise to inform the need for an Acoustic Design Statement as required by the ProPG. Once this has been determined, our job is to work with the developer to produce this Statement to ensure that levels of internal and, where relevant, external noise will be appropriate when the development is complete.
We also carry out sound insulation testing, to ensure that insulation between adjoining properties is adequate for new-builds or for conversions from existing single properties, as required by the Building Regulations, and possibly by planning conditions which may have been applied to a consent for such development work. Also in situations where there are disputes between different parties over the level of sound insulation provided by the building structure.