Acoustic consultants across Wales
Planning-ready noise surveys, noise impact assessments and acoustic reports across South, Mid and North Wales, from Cardiff, Newport and Swansea to Wrexham and the North Wales coast.
Welsh councils assess noise through Planning Policy Wales and TAN 11, alongside the British Standards Environmental Health officers expect. We measure, assess and report against BS 8233, ProPG and BS 4142, framed around the Welsh policy your case officer will apply.
MIOA acoustic consultant · Class 1 instrumentation · Fixed-fee quotes · Site visits typically within 3–5 working days
Welsh planning noise requirements
Welsh planning authorities ask for acoustic evidence whenever noise could affect a new development, or a new development could affect its neighbours. These are the situations we assess most often.
New homes near the M4 corridor, the A55 and A470, the South Wales Main Line or the North Wales Coast Line, where glazing and ventilation must be designed around noise.
Condensers, extract and air source heat pumps assessed to BS 4142, from city-centre restaurants to rural homes where background levels are very low.
Flats above shops, pubs and takeaways and changes of use in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the valley towns.
Homes near steelworks, industrial estates, ports and late-night venues, where industrial and entertainment noise must be assessed.
Already received a planning condition or an Environmental Health request for a noise assessment?
Send us the detailsLocal planning knowledge
Wales has its own planning system. Planning Policy Wales sets the national approach, Technical Advice Note 11 gives noise-specific guidance, and each of the 22 local planning authorities applies them through its Local Development Plan and Environmental Health expectations.
We frame every Welsh report around that policy, so the case officer and Environmental Health see the evidence they need first time, without the delay of re-surveying.
Planning guide
Noise Survey Report Guide for UK Planning
Read the guide →
Planning Policy Wales and TAN 11
Welsh applications are judged against Planning Policy Wales and TAN 11 rather than the NPPF, so reports reference the Welsh framework alongside BS 8233 and BS 4142.
Assessment: framed around Welsh policy
The M4 and A55 corridors
Much of the new housing in South and North Wales sits near the M4 or A55, where continuous road noise shapes layout, glazing and ventilation.
Assessment: BS 8233 and ProPG road traffic noise
Rail and electrification
Homes beside the South Wales Main Line, the valley lines and the North Wales Coast Line need rail noise and, sometimes, vibration considered.
Assessment: rail noise and vibration
Industry and ports
Steel, manufacturing and port activity in places such as Port Talbot, Newport and Holyhead mean BS 4142 industrial assessments are common.
Assessment: BS 4142 industrial noise
Quiet rural Wales
In rural Mid and North Wales, very low background levels mean heat pumps, farm diversification and leisure uses need careful assessment.
Assessment: BS 4142 in low-background settings
Ventilation and comfort
Where noise means windows need to stay closed, alternative ventilation and summer comfort have to be designed alongside the glazing, so the acoustic and ventilation strategies work together.
Assessment: acoustics and ventilation
Acoustic services in Wales
Whether you need a noise assessment, an acoustic survey or noise monitoring in Wales, every report is written for the people who have to approve it: clear methodology, transparent data and practical mitigation.
Planning-ready noise impact assessments for residential, commercial and mixed-use schemes across Wales, including responses to planning conditions.
Noise impact assessments →
Day and night noise surveys to set glazing, ventilation and garden design for new homes near roads, railways, airports and industry.
Environmental noise surveys →
Assessments for air conditioning, heat pumps, extract and condensers, designed to meet the council's plant noise expectations.
Plant noise assessments →
Construction noise and vibration predictions and on-site monitoring for build programmes across Wales.
Construction noise monitoring →
How it works
A clear, fixed-fee process built around your planning programme. You always know what is being assessed, why, and when your report will be ready.
01
Share the site address, drawings and any planning condition or EHO comments. We confirm the right assessment and send a fixed-fee quote.
02
We measure the existing noise climate with Class 1 instrumentation, including night-time and unattended monitoring where the assessment calls for it.
03
Results are assessed against BS 8233, ProPG, BS 4142 or BS 5228 as relevant, with clear, practical mitigation set out for your design team.
04
We respond to questions from planning officers and Environmental Health, and help you discharge noise-related planning conditions.
Welsh noise sources
Every Welsh site has its own noise climate. We design each survey around the sources that matter at your address, measured at the right times and positions so the assessment stands up to scrutiny.
The M4, A55, A470 and A465, plus busy town-centre routes in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.
The South Wales Main Line, the valley lines and the North Wales Coast Line.
Cardiff Airport and military low-flying areas in parts of Mid Wales.
City-centre bars, music venues and student areas, including patron noise, music and deliveries.
Air conditioning, refrigeration and kitchen extract on shops, supermarkets and offices beside homes.
Steelworks, manufacturing, quarries and port activity along the coast.
Policy and guidance
Every report is framed around the policy the case officer will apply: Planning Policy Wales, TAN 11, the relevant Local Development Plan and the standards Environmental Health expect.
National policy
Planning Policy Wales
TAN 11: Noise
Noise and Soundscape Plan for Wales
Welsh and council policy
Local Development Plans
Agent of Change
Supplementary planning guidance
Environmental Health requirements
Standards and guidance
ProPG
BS 8233
BS 4142
BS 5228
Approved Document E (Wales)
Areas we cover
We carry out noise surveys and acoustic assessments throughout Wales, for developers, architects, planning consultants and homeowners.
South Wales
The capital region, the valleys and the M4 corridor, with road, rail, industrial and night-time noise.
Cardiff · Newport · Swansea · Bridgend · Barry · Caerphilly · Pontypridd · Merthyr Tydfil · Neath · Port Talbot · Llanelli · Carmarthen
Mid and North Wales
The A55 coast, Wrexham and Deeside, and quiet rural communities where low background levels matter.
Wrexham · Deeside · Mold · Rhyl · Llandudno · Colwyn Bay · Bangor · Holyhead · Aberystwyth · Newtown · Brecon
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions developers, architects and homeowners ask us most about noise surveys and acoustic reports in Wales.
Usually, if noise could affect the people who will use the development, or the development could affect its neighbours. Common triggers are new homes near main roads, railways or airports, new plant or air conditioning, conversions near shops and bars, and late-night uses. If you're unsure, send us the site address and we'll tell you whether one is likely to be needed.
Simple noise assessments can start from around £750, and a planning noise survey and report for a small-to-medium project commonly costs £1,000–£2,500+. The fee depends on how long monitoring needs to run, the number of measurement positions and what the council requires. We always provide a fixed-fee quote. Our guide to noise assessment costs explains the main price factors.
We cover South, Mid and North Wales regularly from our Southampton base. Site visits can typically be arranged within 3–5 working days of instruction, with faster options for urgent deadlines, and we confirm the survey duration and reporting programme with your quote.
The acoustic standards are the same, BS 8233, ProPG and BS 4142, but the policy framework is Welsh: Planning Policy Wales and TAN 11 rather than the NPPF. We reference the Welsh framework so the report matches what the case officer expects.
BS 8233 gives guidance on acceptable noise levels inside and around homes and other buildings. Together with ProPG, it is used to design glazing, ventilation and outdoor amenity areas for new residential development. BS 4142 assesses the impact of industrial and commercial sound, such as plant and machinery, on nearby residents by comparing it with the existing background sound level.
All of Wales, including Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and the valleys, the M4 corridor, Wrexham and Deeside, the North Wales coast and rural Mid Wales.
Often not, if the installation qualifies as permitted development, which includes meeting the MCS 020(a) noise standard at the nearest neighbour. If it doesn't qualify, for example because of the unit's position, the property's listed status or local restrictions, planning permission may be needed and the council may ask for a noise assessment to BS 4142. Our guide to reducing air source heat pump noise covers the practical options.
Yes. Where new homes are proposed near factories, ports or industrial estates, we assess the industrial sound to BS 4142 and set out any mitigation needed for the homes to be acceptable.
A planning noise report sets out the site and proposal, the relevant policy and standards, the survey methodology and equipment, the measured results, the assessment against the applicable criteria and any mitigation needed, such as glazing, ventilation, barriers or plant attenuation. See what a noise impact assessment report includes for a full breakdown.
Wales noise surveys
Send us the site address, drawings and any comments from the council or Environmental Health. We'll confirm exactly which assessment you need and send a fixed-fee quote, aiming to reply within 24–48 hours.
MIOA acoustic consultant · Class 1 instrumentation · Fixed fees · UK-wide
