Building Project: Lockdown Noise Impact Assessment

A bespoke approach was required when delivering a noise impact assessment on a project during lockdown with greatly reduced levels of traffic and aircraft at the site traditionally heavily impacted by them.

A baseline assessment had to be determined at the Hounslow site near Heathrow utilising all of Syntegra’s experience to determine reasonable baseline noise levels. Major noise sources were identified during site visits and reduced time noise measurements were carried out to determine the noise reduction across the site and noise levels of surrounding industrial type uses. Longer term measurements of road traffic noise were not carried out due to a much reduced traffic flow at this time. 

A noise modelling exercise was then carried out to determine road traffic noise levels across the site with the local industrial noise sources also added in. Finally, because very few aircraft were taking off at the time compared with normal business times, the impact of aircraft noise was determined and added to the results of the noise modelling exercise. Due to the location of some of these sites near Heathrow Airport the impact of aircraft noise was a significant part of the assessment.

A reasonable assessment of the baseline noise climate was determined, in line with industry guidance, using a bespoke approach, in order to present realistic acoustic advice for the scheme.

Architects: https://www.bptw.co.uk