Noise and Nuisance - Research Reports
Determination of the Potential Synergies and Conflicts Between Noise and Air Quality Action Plans
Introduction by Defra and the Devolved Administrations
The research reported here was commissioned by the former DETR and the Devolved Administrations with the aim of assisting those responsible for developing action plans associated with air quality and noise issues. It is clear that measures introduced to reduce air pollution could also affect environmental noise in some way, and vice versa, and this research examined the synergies and conflicts which exist.
The report is in two parts. The first identifies in general terms where synergies and conflicts exist between air quality and noise with respect to a variety of mitigation measures. For some situations, the relationship is clear, but for others the nature and extent of the synergy or conflict is dependent on the detailed circumstances involved.
The second part of the research presented some case studies to illustrate the extent to which synergies or conflicts could arise. In so doing, it was inevitable that many assumptions had to be made and reference data had to be sought from wherever it was available.
The results demonstrate the likely outcome for the situations examined and meet the objective of providing useful information on the degree of synergy and conflict which could exist in these particular situations. It is hoped that this information will assist those who are responsible for the development of air quality or noise action plans.
For real situations, care must be taken in using the results of this research. It must be remembered that the case studies in the second part are:
- Notional - with the circumstances described not necessarily reflecting any actual situation; and
- Theoretical - insofar as various assumptions had to be made in order to reach a result.
For these reasons, the detailed results from this part should not be used to assess an actual situation. At best the processes described in the case studies could be regarded as providing guidance on how to assess the impact of the measure under consideration. Even then, care should be taken that the assumptions made and the source data used are applicable to the real situation under consideration.
The document has been made available in Adobe Acrobat format for downloading as follows:
- Main report minus Tables (510kb)
- Tables (150kb)
- Appendix A (120kb)
The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded. Viewers with visual difficulties may find it useful to investigate services provided to improve the accessibility of Acrobat documents -- http://access.adobe.com
Contacting Defra
If you want further information that is not covered by these pages, you can contact us by e-mail at noise@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Page last modified 23 October 2006
Page published 5 September
2001