Noise, Air, Odour and Light
Environmental health topics in planning: noise, air quality, kitchen extraction, odour and lighting.
Latest in Noise, Air, Odour and Light
263 articlesStatutory nuisance and why permission is no defence
Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 contains no defence of holding planning permission. How abatement notices work, and what best practicable means requires of an operator.
When vibration is assessed in a planning application
Human response and building damage thresholds differ by more than an order of magnitude, so the two assessments need separate sections and separate criteria.
Predicting construction noise under BS 5228
Four inputs drive a BS 5228 construction noise prediction, and on-time percentages are the one most often got wrong. How the calculation and the criteria work.
Delivery and servicing hours conditions on noise grounds
Delivery noise is short, loud events that a BS 4142 rating level dilutes, which is why authorities restrict hours instead. How to assess the events, mitigate them and negotiate the hours.
Part O overheating against closed-window noise mitigation
Approved Document O rules out open windows above 40 dB LAeq at night, while acoustic conditions usually cite BS 8233's 30 dB. That 10 dB gap is where most urban infill sits, and it has to be resolved before submission.
Lighting design where bats are present
All UK bat species are European protected species, so a lighting layout on a site with bats is an ecological document first. What the plan must show and how the condition should be worded.
Vertical illuminance at a window and the curfew
Vertical illuminance at a neighbouring window decides most light trespass objections, and the limit drops after the curfew hour. How the calculation plane is set, which zone applies and what mitigation moves the figure.
Separation distances for intensive livestock odour
Separation distance is a screening tool for intensive livestock odour, not a standard. Clearing it decides how much evidence you need, and ammonia screening against designated habitats often decides the application.
Odour units and dynamic olfactometry explained
An odour unit is a dilution factor, not a mass. Dynamic olfactometry produces the number, and reviewing what sits behind it separates a defensible odour assessment from an impressive-looking one.
Carbon filtration for commercial kitchen odour control
Activated carbon only controls kitchen odour if the grease filtration upstream of it works. The cooking process, not the equipment list, sets the specification an environmental health officer will accept.
Kitchen extract discharge height above the roof
Filtration removes grease and some odour. Termination height decides where the rest goes. Discharge below the roof line releases into the recirculating wake above the windows.
The 42 decibel test for an air source heat pump
The 42 dB(A) limit in the MCS planning standards is a calculation at your neighbour's window, not a measurement at yours. Here is how it is worked out and what fails it.
Play noise from schools and nurseries in an application
BS 4142 excludes sound from people and recreational activities, so a nursery or school application needs a different approach. Here is how to assess play noise and which controls councils accept.
Odour and noise from waste facilities at planning stage
National waste planning policy tells authorities not to duplicate pollution control. Here is where the planning line falls, which odour and noise sources matter, and the conditions that work without duplicating the permit.
Drafting noise conditions that can actually be verified
A noise condition that cannot be measured cannot be enforced. How to draft a limit with a named receptor, defined periods, a stated metric and a verification test that settles the question.
Statutory nuisance and why planning conditions matter more
Two regimes control the same noise from a business. The planning condition is the one with no right of appeal, which is why councils reach for it first.
Specifying luminaires to control sky glow
A luminaire datasheet quotes upward light ratio at zero tilt. Once the unit is angled across a carriageway the figure changes, which is why the schedule has to state the installed attitude.
Dark sky areas and lighting policy in protected landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes sit in the darkest obtrusive light zones, where upward light is zero and spill after curfew is zero. What that means for design.
Light spill into bedroom windows and the curfew hour
Obtrusive light guidance sets lux limits at the window by environmental zone, with far tighter figures after curfew. How to measure, object and get a condition that works.
Nitrogen deposition on habitats from changed traffic flows
Most sensitive habitats are already above their critical load, so the question is whether your scheme's contribution matters. The screening route and the in-combination trap.
Biomass and solid fuel in a smoke control area
The Clean Air Act and planning are separate controls, and you can satisfy one while breaching the other. What exempt listings actually say, and where flue height rules bite.
Standby generators: noise, emissions and the permit line
One plant item, three regimes. How to assess a generator under BS 4142 for both test and emergency scenarios, where stack height matters, and when the plant needs an environmental permit as well as permission.
Real-time dust monitoring and trigger levels on site
There is no statutory dust deposition limit in England, so trigger levels have to be derived from a site baseline. How to specify monitoring, set alert and action levels, and report them so they stand up to a complaint.
Construction vibration limits and how they are evidenced
Residents notice vibration at levels roughly fifty times below those that risk cosmetic damage. The thresholds, the sources, and the monitoring and trigger regime a planning submission should offer.
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