Why Choose Us for your Noise Assessment?
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We are a leading, devon-based, independent noise assessment consultancy.
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We provide highly competitive pricing, and an unrivalled quality of service all across Devon & Cornwall.
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Our noise assessment engineers are highly educated, fully trained, courteous and punctual, and provide highly practical and pragmatic design advice.
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We are a highly trusted business with a great reputation with Devon and Cornwall local authorities, and decision makers, meaning our reports are normally accepted, along with your development proposals!
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Our Southwest clients always come first. We are dedicated to bringing you the best possible service in every way.
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We offer a huge range of noise survey and noise assessment services, to ensure all your possible noise assessment needs are met..
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Our noise specialists and noise consultants aim to minimise stress and uncertainty, by communicating effectively with all parties and delivering our work in a timely manner.
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Southwest Noise Assessments
Range of Services
Residential Noise Assessments to BS8233
Workplace Noise at Work Assessments
Industrial Noise Assessments to BS4142
Road Traffic Noise Level Assessment
Environmental Sound Surveys
Entertainment Noise Assessments
BREEAM Noise Pollution Assessments
Hospital & Healthcare Noise Assessments
Noise & Vibration Assessments
Noise Impact Assessment Reports
Construction Noise Assessments to BS5228
Environmental Noise Surveys & Assessments
Southwest Noise Impact Assessments
Noise surveys and noise impact assessments are an important part of any project or situation with acoustic concerns. They can help you determine the noise levels in your area, or on your site, identify any potential problems, and find ways to best mitigate them.
At Clear Acoustic Design Ltd, we have a team of expert, Devon & Cornwall acoustic consultants with years of experience in the field of noise surveys and noise impact assessments. Our professional and efficient service will help you resolve your noise issues and/or gain planning permission for your project quickly and easily. We understand the importance of meeting deadlines, and our consultants are always available to help you get the results you need.
A noise assessment report can be used for a variety of reasons, the most common of which are to assess the impact of environmental and industrial noise sources on residential buildings, and/or people, or to determine the level of exposure to noise in the workplace.
If you're looking to design the acoustics of a building, or assess, reduce and control noise levels for any situation, then give us a call on 0330 043 5493, or email us at info@clearacousticdesign.com for more information about the services we offer.
Noise Assessments and noise Assessment reports are becoming more and more in demand, especially in Devon & Cornwall, as people and policy makers become more aware of the importance of acoustics in residential, industrial and commercial settings. At Clear Acoustic Design Ltd, we have many years of experience in undertaking noise control projects of all shapes and sizes across the South, so you can be sure that you're in good hands.
We know that dealing with planning authorities can be a challenging process, but our team is here to help you every step of the way. We'll work tirelessly to ensure that you get the best possible outcome from your noise specialist, with minimum stress involved.
Our noise assessment experts are based throughout London, the Southwest, and the United Kingdom, making them easily accessible for on-site consultations. We understand that each project is unique, so we take a tailored approach to every job we undertake. Our goal is always to provide a professional, top quality service that meets your specific needs.
When it comes to selecting the right London noise consultant for your needs, it is important to know that all of our acoustic consultants and noise engineers are certified by the Institute of Acoustics. We want you to have peace of mind knowing that you're working with some of the best in the industry.
What are the Main Types of Noise Assessment across Devon?
There are a vast number of different types of noise assessments and noise reports that can be carried out. These fall within the following main types of noise assessment:
Noise Assessments for New Industrial and Commercial Noise Sources
This type of noise survey is designed to identify the representative background noise level for the relevant operational time period. Once the existing background noise is established a noise impact assessment will then be required to assess the Specific noise, produced by the industrial/commercial installation, and determine if any action is needed to comply with the planning and noise requirements. The Specific/Rating noise is compared to the background noise to establish the level of noise impact, normally in line with BS4142:2014. The Specific/Rating noise is normally required to be at least equal to the background noise level, but often 10dB below the background noise to demonstrate compliance.
Environmental Noise Assessment for New Building Projects
This type of noise survey aims to identify the ambient and maximum noise levels, at the proposed building facades, for the day and night time periods. These external day and night time levels are then used to calculate the noise level inside the proposed building. The noise ingress through the external walls, roof, windows and ventilators will all be considered to predict the total cumulative internal noise level.
Workplace Noise Assessments - Noise Risk Assessments
Noise at work assessments aim to identify the noise exposure that employees are subjected to. If the noise levels are found to be within acceptable limits, then no further action will be required. However if they are found to exceed the Noise at Work guidelines, or there is a potential for damage to hearing, then the business will be required to take steps to reduce noise levels. This could include making changes to the equipment and machinery used to lower noise levels, limiting the time spent in high noise areas, or by providing hearing protection to be worn in noisy areas.
Are Your Noise Assessment Consultants Suitably Qualified?
When you're looking for an acoustic consultant, it's important to make sure that they are suitably qualified in order to ensure accurate and reliable results. This normally means that a noise survey must be conducted by a full member of the Institute of Acoustics (MIOA) and have appropriate qualifications to be classed as a 'suitably qualified acoustician'.
This is important because it ensures that you're working with someone who has the proper training and experience to help you with your noise issues.
This also ensures that the key decision makers will accept the conclusions put forward in the noise report or planning submission. Make sure to ask your consultant about their qualifications so that you can be sure that you're making the best decision for your project or business.
Clear Acoustic Design Ltd has extensive experience conducting noise surveys and producing noise impact assessment reports helping our clients all across the UK. Our team is fully qualified, members of the IOA and our reports are fully accepted by local authorities nationwide.
Why Do I Need a Noise Assessment?
Noise assessments are often required by the Devon & Cornwall planning authorities when submitted a planning application. A noise assessment and corresponding acoustic report are then required to be able to assess the current noise climate and the noise impact on a sensitive noise receptor or person.
The noise receptor can be future occupiers of a building from an existing noise source, or an existing noise sensitive receptor from a new noise source.
Without a professional and detailed noise assessment it is not possible to know the exact background or ambient noise levels, and therefore it is not possible to evaluate if the assessment noise levels are suitable or need mitigating to lower the noise impact.
What Planning Requirements or Noise Regulations Can a Noise Consultant Help With?
A noise consultant can help with all noise issues which may arise during the planning process. They are experts in architectural acoustics and environmental noise reduction as well as noise control techniques, which helps to limit the sound transference both within buildings and to the environment.
In the planning stage, a noise assessment consultant can assess a project's noise constraints and recommend appropriate solutions to reduce or eliminate the issues, which may include specifying different materials/products for construction/installation or recommending noise enclosures or noise barriers to contain noise levels.
A noise consultant is highly experienced in dealing with all common planning requirements , which are often requested within the planning conditions once approval is granted. These include BS8233 for new buildings, BS4142 for new industrial noise sources, WHO community noise guidelines for internal and external noise limits, and BS5228 for construction site noise, to name a few examples.
Noise assessment engineers also carry out workplace noise surveys to satisfy HSE requirements for the control of noise at work, and can also provide expert witness reports which can be used in legal proceedings if necessary to prove that the correct procedures were followed during the planning, construction or design stages of a project.
Approved Document E of the Building Regulations provides internal sound insulation requirements for residential buildings, but does not provide any design requirements regarding external noise ingress or egress. This is surprising to many, but all noise requirements should be picked by and enforced by the planning department rather than Building Control.
What is a BS8233 Noise Assessment for Residential Buildings?
BS8233:2014 is one of the main British Standards used for assessing noise levels and includes guidance regarding suitable internal noise levels for many types of buildings, including residential dwellings.
A BS8233 Noise Assessment is a comprehensive noise impact assessment that helps support planning applications for residential buildings in particular. It is often imposed by the planning authorities when a new residential dwelling is proposed near sources of existing environmental noise, usually roads, or railways.
The aim of a BS8233 residential noise assessment is to establish the future ambient noise levels at the facades of a proposed development, to allow the internal noise levels to be calculated and assessed of the day and night. Maximum noise levels from sporadic, impulsive events are also considered, and factored into the assessment. The results of the calculations can then be compared to BS8233 internal noise guidance, to show that the site and proposed building are compliant with the British Standard..
How do you Carry out a BS8233 Residential Noise Assessment?
An ambient noise level survey is first undertaken at a location close to the future worst-case facade location(s). For simple site layouts only one measurement location may be required, but on more complex sites, with multiple buildings, or multiple noise sources, multiple measurement positions may be necessary to understand the spread of noise across the site.
Once environmental noise data has been collected for the day and night time periods, noise break-in calculations can be carried out, using the proposed facade constructions, glazing, ventilators and internal room dimensions.
Following the data collection, and once the internal noise levels have been calculated, the level of noise impact is then evaluated according to BS8233:2014 requirements. This British Standard provides guidance internal noise levels for residential dwellings, typically 35dB LAeq for a living room in the day, and 30dB LAeq for bedroom at night.
The BS8233 noise assessment report provides all of the information needed to construct the facades of the proposed building, whilst achieving noise compliance, including appropriate glazing and ventilation specifications where required.
Acoustic calculations are also carried out to assess noise in external amenity areas such as gardens, rooftops, and large balconies, where noise barriers or other noise control methods may be required to reduce noise levels in these external amenity areas.
What is a BS4142 Noise Impact Assessment?
BS4142:2014 is one of the main British Standards used for assessing new sources of industrial and/or commercial noise levels in mixed residential areas.
A BS4142 noise assessment is a defined process that is used to assess the noise impact of any new industrial or commercial activities. The assessment will be requested by the local authority prior to the installation of any external plant equipment, including air conditioning units, mechanical extract systems, Heat pumps, or generators, or before a new noise generating facility can operate, such as a nightclub, race track, recycling centre, MOT test centre, or car wash, to name a few examples.
A BS4142 noise report can be requested for any planning application if the local authority believes the proposals could cause have an adverse effect on local residents.
The pre-application stage of a planning application is a good time for this type of noise impact assessment to be carried out as it can demonstrate to the planners that noise is being taken seriously and considered at an early stage. Planning conditions will often be imposed by the local authority as part of planning approval to ensure that certain noise standards are met before work on site commences, or before the development can operate, or be occupied.
How is a BS4142 Noise Survey and Noise Impact Assessment Carried Out?
Similar to a BS8233 assessment, a background noise level survey is first undertaken, without the proposed industrial or commercial noise source in existence or operation. The survey will ideally be conducted at the closest noise sensitive premises, or a location that is representative of this location. Sometimes the closest receptor may not be the worst affected receptor, due to screening, and directivity, and in this case multiple background noise measurements may be necessary.
Once the representative background noise level is known, the industrial or commercial noise source can be evaluated. This noise source may not exist yet and therefore this is normally done using manufacturers noise data for mechanical plant, or by using measured data from similar operations on another site.
The level of noise impact is then evaluated according to BS4142:2014. This is done by comparing the new source of industrial/commercial noise against the existing representative background noise level that was measured previously. The noise source level has to be calculated back to the receptor point, therefore a distance loss calculation will normally be carried out along with various other noise attenuation corrections. If the noise source does not exceed the background noise level at the receptor point this normally indicates that the noise impact is low, although some local authorities will require a level of at least 10 dBA below the representative background noise level.
What we Need to Carry Out Your Noise Assessment
Whether we are carrying out a BS4142 assessment or a BS8233 noise assessment, our basic survey requirement are the same.
Firstly we need to establish a safe and secure location for our monitoring equipment as it is highly valuable and easily damageable. This can be on a private piece of land, such as an enclosed garden, rooftop, or courtyard, that has no public access. Alternatively we can place the equipment inside a building and use an upper floor open window to extend the microphone outside of the building.
Once a suitable and secure noise survey location has been established the equipment will be left for at least 24 hours, but often longer.
In order to carry out the noise impact assessment we will need full details of all proposed noise generating equipment and details of any buildings, including architectural drawings and specifications. If the manufacturer of the proposed equipment does not have noise data sheets, this can make the assessment very difficult, especially if the equipment is not yet installed and therefore no on-site data can be gathered.
For a workplace noise survey, for health and safety purposes, the survey requirements are more straightforward. As we will be visiting an existing and operational site, we simply need the site to be operating in its usual manner during the site inspections.
Our Clients Include
We've had the opportunity to work with a vast variety of clients in many different sectors of the UK. This has given us a wide range of experience and expertise that we can bring to your project. Our client lists include:
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Architects
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Planning Consultants
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Developers
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Project Managers and Design Consultants
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Major Building Contractors
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Small Independent Builders
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Restaurants and Takeaways
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Housing Associations
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Venue operators
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Small, Medium, and Large, Commercial and Industrial Facilities
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Government Organisations
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Charities
Service Areas
Clear Acoustic Design Ltd offers noise assessment services across London, the Southwest, and the rest of the UK. We have a nationwide network of local engineers who can provide our services quickly and efficiently. This allows us to provide our clients with the best possible local service.
We understand that many organisations and clients need an affordable service with quick turnaround times, which is why we offer a local service with competitive prices, without compromising on quality.
We're also independent, flexible and nimble, which means we can focus on providing a service that meets your needs, rather than being limited by working with large multi-discipline companies with restrictive policies.
We currently have noise assessment engineers serving Greater London, The South-East, Birmingham & the Midlands, Bristol, Wales and Devon & Cornwall.
Get in Touch!
If you're interested in learning more about the services offered by Clear Acoustic Design, be sure to request a callback by using one of our contact forms, by sending an email, or by giving us a call. Our team will provide you with all of the information you need, including costs and turnaround time.
We understand that it can be difficult to make a decision without knowing more about what's available and fully understanding the process. We want you to feel confident in your choice, and we believe that our team is the best option for your needs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Noise Consultant?
A noise consultant is a professional who helps individuals, businesses, and organisations control environmental and industrial noise levels, and also provides architectural design support to architects, contractors and design teams when designing the facades and ventilation of buildings.
Noise consultants can also be referred to as acoustic engineers or acoustic consultants and normally have years of experience in undertaking projects of all shapes and sizes, so they can provide bespoke surveys and advice that meets your specific requirements.
Some of the services a noise consultant offers include:
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Noise impact assessments to BS4142, BS5228 and BS8233
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Environmental noise surveys for all proposed developments and planning applications
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Architectural acoustic design for all building types
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Noise at work assessments for HSE compliance
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Construction noise assessments and mitigation
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Noise compliance testing to demonstrate compliance with planning conditions or other requirements.
What is Background Noise? / What is a Background Noise Survey?
Background noise is often confused with ambient noise but it is a very different type of noise measurement.
Ambient noise is a type of average noise level, or equivalent constant noise level to be exact. It is the noise level that represents a consistent and steady level of sound energy across the time period measured. In reality the sound energy is constantly fluctuating throughout a given measurement, so this gives a single noise level value to represent the sound energy in the measurement time sample period.
Background noise is very different and is a type of minimum noise level, rather than an average noise level. It is therefore always lower than the ambient noise level for a given measurement sample. The background noise is also referred to as the L90 or LA90 noise level. This is because it is a percentile noise level and it is the level that is exceeded 90% of the time of the measurement sample. Therefore it is not the true minimum noise level but more of a subjective minimum level. By ignoring the lowest 10% of the measurement sample, the background noise level provides a baseline noise level to design new sources of noise against, to minimise the noise impact and prevent any adverse effects.
How Much does a Noise Assessment Cost?
This is of course a very difficult to question to answer, as predictably, It depends!
The cost of a noise Assessment will depend on many factors including the length of the survey, the number of noise monitoring positions, whether the equipment needs to be attended or unattended, and the general complexity of the data anywise and subsequent calculations.
Clear Acoustic Design provide highly competitive pricing so please contact us for a detailed quote that meets the specific needs of your project.
What is the Difference Between a Noise Consultant and a Sound Engineer?
A noise consultant typically has a broader range of experience compared to a sound engineer, and deal with all aspects of noise and sound. They are experts in noise, sound, and vibration issues, in buildings, workplaces, and the environment.
They can also ensure you adhere to any legal and planning requirements, British Standards, Building Regulations, and noise-related architectural, occupational noise, and mechanical noise requirements.
A sound engineer typically works more on the design/operation of sound/audio systems that produce audio signals for purposes such as broadcasting, recording, or live performance.
Can an acoustic or noise consultant help with anything related to noise and sound? Yes! Noise experts and acoustic specialists offer acoustic advice for any situation that helps clients achieve the acoustic outcomes they desire.
How Do I know if I Need a Noise Consultant?
It can be difficult to know if you need a noise consultant, but here are some common indications:
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You have a problem with noise ingress from outside, or within the building (e.g. industrial/commercial noise, traffic noise, aircraft noise)
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You are planning to create a new industrial/commercial noise source, or install new mechanical ventilation/cooling/heating plant, and require a noise assessment to gain paining permission.
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You are designing a new building and need to comply with the the acoustic planning conditions, or any other acoustic design requirements.
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You are changing the use of an existing building and need an acoustic assessment to gain planning permission.
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You have problems with the sound/noise in your offices or workplace, such as background noise or excessive reverberation.
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To learn more about noise control and acoustic design for your new or existing school or college buildings.
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Your employees are exposed to fairly loud levels of noise in your business or facility, and a noise risk assessment is required.
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Your development is complete and you need acoustic testing, or noise compliance measurements to demonstrate compliance to the authorities.
What Qualifications do I Need to be a Noise Consultant or Noise Engineer?
A noise consultant will usually be educated to degree level, with a focus on Maths and Physics, but there are now many options available, including apprenticeships, through the Institute of Acoustics.
See the following links to the IOA website:
https://www.ioa.org.uk/careers/what-educational-qualifications-do-i-need
https://www.ioa.org.uk/news/technician-apprenticeship-scheme-2022
What Does a Typical Day Look Like for a Noise Consultant or Acoustic Engineer?
A typical day for an noise consultant can be unpredictable. They often need to balance the demands of their clients, with travelling large distances to site, and meeting tight deadlines. They also can't predict when they will receive urgent requests for information.
An acoustic consultant typically spends their day working with their colleagues, clients and design teams to provide noise surveys and acoustic advice for various construction projects, health and safety assessments, and planning applications.. They may also spend time conducting long-term noise monitoring, site visits and site inspections, and preparing technical and concise reports. The technical noise report helps clients achieve the necessary planning approval and meet the clients acoustic requirements for their projects.
What is Environmental Noise?
Environmental noise refers to all noise that is created in the external environment and could come from a wide variety of noise sources.
Environmental noise pollution is a big concern for many people, and it can have a significant impact on our daily lives. Excessive noise can cause stress, sleep problems, and heart disease. It can also lead to decreased productivity and hearing loss. In order to combat the negative effects of noise pollution, it's important to understand what causes it so it can be understood and mitigated.
Some common sources of noise in the environment include road/rail traffic, construction, mechanical plant equipment, and aircraft. Local Planning Authorities are responsible for the level of noise in an area, and taking steps to mitigate any negative impacts. They work with developers and other stakeholders to request noise impact assessments that take into account all environmental factors and noise sources to ensure that the noise levels at noise sensitive receptors is suitable.
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