The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy

image of traffic, from cover of noise strategy

Noise is a problem for many Londoners. It can disrupt conversation or other activity, increase stress or disturb concentration, rest or sleep. Many see it as a key quality of life issue. The Mayor's strategy is part of a Europe-wide move towards more active management of what legislation calls 'ambient' or 'environmental noise' - long term noise, mainly from transport sources. Your local borough council can often help with individual local problems such as noisy neighbours, construction works, pubs and clubs, and other local nuisances. Protecting people's hearing in noisy workplaces is dealt with primarily by the Health and Safety Executive. The Mayor's strategy focuses on better management of transport systems, better town planning, and better design of buildings. Early priorities include lower noise road surfaces. Many other measures, and new funding, will be needed.

The final Ambient Noise Strategy 'Sounder City', a 'highlights' document and a leaflet are available for download free of charge.

The Mayor encourages quieter vehicles, including through a Hydrogen Partnership. Many of the policies in the Mayor's Transport Strategy, including encouragement to public transport, walking and cycling, and 'Streets for People', will bring about a quieter London. The London Plan contains an overall statement of planning policy on noise, while Sounder City sets out more detail.

Ambient Noise Strategy progress report

The Mayor has been working to implement his Ambient Noise Strategy since its publication in March 2004. He has produced two progress reports detailing key work to date. The first progress report covers the period between 31 March 2004 and 31 January 2005. The second report covers the period between 1 February 2005 and 31 July 2006. These documents are available to download below.

Progress report 2005/6 PDF
Progress report 2005/6 RTF

Progress report 2004/5 PDF
Progress report 2004/5 RTF

Consultation

In July 2002 a draft strategy was sent to the London Assembly and the GLA group of organisations for their observations. In March 2003, 'City Soundings', the public consultation draft of the Ambient Noise Strategy, was published. During the consultation period, which ended on 13 June 2003, the Mayor asked members of the public and interested organisations for their views on the draft strategy, via questionnaires, on-line surveys, letters, meetings and special events.

A report entitled 'Sounding out London', setting out the consultation process and summarising the results, is available:

Sounding out London consultation report (PDF, 104k)
Sounding out London consultation report (RTF, 1Mb)

Note: Paper copies of the consultation report are available from the Public Consultation Team at the GLA on: 020 7983 4857.

Sound-conscious urban design

These factsheets illustrate a range of ways in which buildings and public spaces can be designed to improve city soundscapes. They include see-through walls which screen noise, water features masking noise in urban squares and parks, innovative paving which creates changing soundscapes for walkers, and designing an outdoor performance space to give high quality sound with less amplification. Visitors to these webpages are invited to send details of places which they consider exemplary, headed 'Sound-conscious urban design', to the Greater London Authority, at the address below.

Examples

The factsheets are available in PDF only.

Broadgate, London - screening and vertical planting in urban square
Cartier Foundation, Paris - building integrated screening
Dudley Wood Road, W. Midlands - new development supporting noise reduction in wider area
Freeway Park, Seattle - decking and enclosing development over noise source
Hans Knudsens Plads, Copenhagen - photovoltaic panels integrated in glazing of housing
High Cross Road, London - planted noise bund
North Point Island Place, Hong Kong - landscaped roof garden
Imperial Gate, Cardiff - leisure development
Maidstone Exchange, Kent - self-protecting mixed use development
Parc de Bercy, Paris - edge screening of open space
Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester - edge screening of open space
Roy Square, London - self-protecting development with active street front
Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam - innovative paving in public square
Thames Barrier Park, London - edge screening of open space, and water features
Royal Docks School, London - noise protection with natural ventilation
Pritzker Pavilion , Millennium Park, Chicago - distributed sound for outdoor concerts

All factsheets PDF (4.6MB - please note file may be slow to download because of its size)

Quiet Homes for London

Prepared for GLA by specialists Alan Whitfield, Janet Higgitt and Rick Groves, this report examines practical ways of securing improved home noise insulation and better access to quieter homes. Issues considered include incorporating internal noise insulation in the Decent Homes Standard; housing allocation policies, tenancy agreements and housing management; ways of providing temporary relief in the worst cases of intrusive noise; ways of using grant aid, equity release and other means of securing more resources to improve noise insulation; improving information on noise insulation, including costs, and possible labelling schemes; joining up policy on noise insulation with energy efficiency; and ensuring that the interests of residents are properly protected in licensing reform.

Quiet homes for London PDF
Quiet homes for London RTF

A hard copy may be ordered from our publications office - see purchasing GLA publications. The cost is £10.

Technical reports

Effect of noise on physical health risk in London

The potential effects of noise on cardiovascular health have been studied for many years by independent experts. The first of these two commissioned studies, 'Report on Phase 1 - Review of the Topic' reviews recent evidence for such effects, including possible relationships between noise exposure and cardiovascular health (risk factors). The evidence suggests that links exist and that a relationship can be derived, which can be used for road traffic noise, and, provisionally, aircraft noise. The second document, 'Report on Phase 2 - Estimates of the Numbers of People at Risk,' applies this relationship to data on Londoners’ noise exposure.

The second report has been revised to correct an error in the version briefly available on this website in June 2008. That error meant that risks attributable to noise from Heathrow and London City airports had been substantially over-estimated.

Report on phase 1 – Review of the topic PDF
Report on phase 1 – Review of the topic RTF

Report on phase 2 – Estimates of the numbers of people at risk PDF
Report on phase 2 – Estimates of the numbers of people at risk RTF