 Expressed its support for the Green Paper.

 Noted the lack of reliable, comparable data describing the effects of environmental noise.

 Urged that specific measures and initiatives should be laid down in a Directive on the reduction of environmental noise.

Consequently, Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (often referred to as the Environmental Noise Directive or the END) was drawn-up and ultimately adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, on 25 June 2002. The Directive can be found at the following link:

http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/dat/2002/1_189/1_18920020718en00120025.pdf

The aim of the END is to define a common approach across the European Union with the intention of avoiding, preventing or reducing, on a prioritised basis, the harmful effects including annoyance, due to exposure to environmental noise. This is to involve:

 The determination of exposure to environmental noise, through noise mapping.

 The adoption of action plans by Member States, based upon noise-mapping results, with a view to preventing and reducing environmental noise (particularly where exposure levels can induce harmful effects on human health) and to preserving environmental noise quality where it is good.

 Ensuring that information on environmental noise and its effects is made available to the public.

Environmental noise is defined as unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities, including noise from road, rail, airports and from industrial sites.

The END is a form of European Commission legislation that is not directly applicable in the Member States but instead has to be transposed into national legislation. Each Member State strictly should have brought into force laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive by 18 July 2004, although this deadline was not met by the UK and the transposition process is still on-going.

The END applies to human exposure to environmental noise in built-up areas (agglomerations) and close to major road, rail and airports in open country. An agglomeration is defined as an area having a population in excess of 100,000 persons (250,000 for the first round of mapping) and a population density such that the Member State considers it to be an urbanised area.

The END requires that Member States designate the competent authorities responsible for implementing this Directive, including:

 The making (and where relevant, approving) of noise maps and action plans.

 The collation of noise maps and action plans.

Although final confirmation is awaited, it is likely, at least for the first round of mapping, that central government will take on the responsibility for preparing the noise maps and action plans for all sources except airports, where the airport operator will fulfil these functions (although the noise maps at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted will be prepared by central government).

The END requires that Member States use common noise indicators - Lden and Lnight - to describe environmental noise levels, although the END does allow Member States to use supplementary noise indicators. The Lden stands for the day-evening-night level and is an average noise level over the 24-hour period, but including a weighting for the evening and night-time periods. The Lnight is the average un-weighted noise level over the night-time period.

In the UK the day, evening and night-time periods are to be taken as follows:

 Day 07:00 – 19:00 (12 hours)

 Evening 19:00 – 23:00 (4 hours)

 Night 23:00 – 07:00 (8 hours)

Values of Lden and Lnight can be determined either by computation or by measurement, although realistically, given the areas that require to be assessed in the UK, the END requirement to provide information separately for all sources and the rolling programme set down in the END, computation (i.e. a computer based noise model) is considered to be the only viable option.

A computerised noise model will typically include four elements in addition to the specific noise sources, all of which can influence noise propagation:

 Topography

 Buildings

 Barriers

 Ground Cover

An extremely large quantity of potentially complex data will be required to enable the noise maps to be generated. To assist the noise mapping process, a Good Practice Guide has been produced by the European Commission, which can be found at the following link:

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm./environment/noise/pdf/best_practice_guide.pdf

The Commission is to establish common assessment methods for the use by all Member States for the determination of Lden and Lnight. These methods collectively are called Harmonoise and are currently being developed.

Until these methods are adopted, Member States may use either the EC recommended interim computation methods or assessment methods based upon methods laid down in their own legislation, but, if necessary adapted to produce the required Lden and Lnight values.

In the UK, the following methods are likely to be used:

• Industry – ISO 9613-2: Acoustics – Attenuation of sound during propagation outdoors, Part 2: General method of calculation

• Road traffic – The Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) [modified to generate Lden and Lnight, see http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise research/crtn/pdf/noise_crtn.pdf]

• Rail traffic – The Calculation of Railway Noise (CRN)

• Airports – Either ANCON2 (operated solely by the Civil Aviation Authority) or INM (produced by the American Federal Aviation Administration).

Strictly, the END requires that if national methods are to be used ‘equivalent results’ to those obtained using the interim methods must be obtained.

A strategic noise map is a method of presenting complex information on noise levels and/or exposure in a clear and simple way and could take a variety of forms and be presented in a number of ways (e.g. contours, graphs or tables).

Strategic noise maps showing the situation in the preceding calendar year have to be made and approved by the competent authority no later than 30 June 2007. These maps must include all agglomerations with more than 250,000 inhabitants (100,000 in 2012), all major roads with more than six million vehicle passages a year (three million in 2012), all major railways with more than 60,000 train passages per year (30,000 in 2012) and all major airports (50,000 movements per year).

Based on the strategic maps and by no later than 18 July 2009, the competent authorities will have to draw up action plans designed to manage noise and its effects for places near major roads, major railways and major airports, and within agglomerations. Action planning is to be repeated by 18 July 2013, based on the noise maps generated the previous year.

The measures within the plans are at the discretion of the competent authorities, but should address priorities identified by the exceeding of any relevant limit value and should also aim to protect quiet areas against an increase in noise. The actions may for example include:

 Traffic planning

 Land-use planning

 Technical measures at the noise source

 Selection of quieter sources

 Noise attenuation along the transmission path (e.g. noise barriers)

 Regulatory or economic measures or incentives

Each action plan should contain an estimate in terms of the reduction of the number of people affected.

Member States have to ensure that the public is given an early and effective opportunity to participate in the preparation and review of action plans. Additionally, the strategic noise maps and action plans produced should be made available and disseminated to the public. All information should be clear, comprehensible and a summary provided setting out the most important points.

In addition to a description of the major sources and/or agglomerations, and the identification of responsible authorities and the computation/measurement methods utilised, the principal information to be sent to the Commission is an estimate of the number of people living in dwellings that are exposed to each of the following bands of values in dB at 4m above the ground on the most exposed façade and separately for road, rail and air traffic and (for agglomerations only) industrial sources:

 Lden 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, ≥75

 Lnight 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, ≥70.

An example of a noise map for a single source and its dissemination to the public is the London road traffic noise map, commissioned by Defra which can be found at: www.noisemapping.org

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