Acoustic consultants across the South East
Planning-ready noise surveys, noise impact assessments and acoustic reports across Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
From homes under the Heathrow and Gatwick flight paths to plant on Brighton's seafront and new estates beside the M25, M20 and M4, we measure, assess and report against BS 8233, ProPG and BS 4142, giving planning officers and Environmental Health the evidence they need.
MIOA acoustic consultant · Class 1 instrumentation · Fixed-fee quotes · Site visits typically within 3–5 working days
South East planning noise requirements
South East councils 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 M25, M23, M20 or M4, main rail lines, or under Heathrow and Gatwick flight paths, where glazing and ventilation must be designed around noise.
Condensers, extract and air source heat pumps assessed to BS 4142 against the council's plant noise expectations.
Office-to-residential, Class MA prior approval and flats above shops and bars in towns such as Guildford, Reading, Maidstone and Brighton.
Homes near distribution parks, Thames Gateway industrial land, seafront venues and late-night uses, under the Agent of Change principle.
Already received a planning condition or an Environmental Health request for a noise assessment?
Send us the detailsLocal planning knowledge
The South East has dozens of planning authorities, from Brighton & Hove and Reading to rural districts in the Weald and the Chilterns, and each applies national policy through its own Local Plan and Environmental Health expectations.
Knowing what the case officer and Environmental Health will expect before the survey is booked is what keeps an application moving, and avoids the cost of re-surveying.
Planning guide
Noise Survey Report Guide for UK Planning
Read the guide →
Heathrow and Gatwick flight paths
Parts of Berkshire, Surrey and Sussex sit under major flight paths, so aircraft noise, including early-morning arrivals, often needs to be measured or modelled alongside road traffic.
Assessment: BS 8233 and ProPG with aircraft noise
The M25 and orbital corridors
Schemes beside the M25, M23, M20, M3 and M4 face continuous road noise, so layout, orientation and screening are considered before relying on glazing alone.
Assessment: ProPG risk assessment and BS 8233 design
Seafront and town-centre night-time economy
Brighton, Hastings, Margate and other resort and university towns combine venues, takeaways and late opening with new flats, so entertainment and plant noise are assessed together.
Assessment: entertainment and BS 4142 plant noise
Thames Gateway and Medway industry
Housing growth in north Kent and along the Thames sits close to established industrial and port land, where BS 4142 and the Agent of Change principle apply.
Assessment: BS 4142 industrial noise assessment
Overheating: Approved Document O
Where noise means bedroom windows would need to stay closed at night, Approved Document O requires another way of preventing overheating, so noise, ventilation and cooling are designed together.
Assessment: acoustics, ventilation and overheating review
Quiet countryside and National Landscapes
In the Surrey Hills, High Weald and Chilterns National Landscapes and the South Downs National Park, very low background levels mean heat pumps, equestrian and leisure uses need careful assessment.
Assessment: BS 4142 and MCS 020(a)
Acoustic services in the South East
Whether you need a noise assessment, an acoustic survey or noise monitoring in Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire or Oxfordshire, 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 the South East, including responses to planning conditions.
Noise impact assessments →
Day and night noise surveys to set glazing, ventilation and garden design for new homes near motorways, rail and airports.
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, Section 61 support and on-site monitoring for South East build programmes.
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.
South East noise sources
Every South East 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 M25, M23, M20, M2, M3 and M4, the A3 and A27, and busy town-centre routes, often with significant night-time HGV traffic.
The Brighton Main Line, Southeastern and HS1 routes in Kent, and the Great Western Main Line and Elizabeth line through Berkshire.
Flight paths into Heathrow and Gatwick, plus smaller airfields, including early-morning and late-evening movements.
Bars, clubs and seafront venues in Brighton and the coastal towns, including patron noise, music and deliveries.
Air conditioning, refrigeration and kitchen extract on shops, supermarkets and offices beside homes.
Distribution parks, Thames Gateway industry and long build programmes on growing towns.
Policy and guidance
Every report is framed around the policy the case officer will apply: national policy and guidance, the relevant council's Local Plan and any Neighbourhood Plan, and the standards Environmental Health expect.
National policy
NPPF
PPG Noise
Noise Policy Statement for England
South East and council policy
Council Local Plans
Neighbourhood Plans
Agent of Change
Supplementary planning documents
Standards and guidance
ProPG
BS 8233
BS 4142
BS 5228
Approved Document O
Areas we cover
We carry out noise surveys and acoustic assessments throughout the South East, for developers, architects, planning consultants and homeowners. For Southampton, Portsmouth and the rest of Hampshire, see our Hampshire page.
Surrey, Sussex and Kent
Commuter towns, coastal resorts and growth areas, with motorway, rail and airport noise and busy night-time economies.
Guildford · Woking · Reigate · Epsom · Crawley · Brighton and Hove · Worthing · Chichester · Eastbourne · Maidstone · Canterbury · Ashford · Tunbridge Wells · Dartford · Medway
Berkshire and Oxfordshire
Thames Valley towns along the M4 and Great Western Main Line, Heathrow flight paths and quiet Chilterns countryside.
Reading · Slough · Bracknell · Windsor · Maidenhead · Newbury · Wokingham · Oxford · Bicester · Banbury · Abingdon · Didcot
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions developers, architects and homeowners ask us most about noise surveys and acoustic reports across the South East.
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 motorways, 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're based in Southampton and cover the South East regularly, so site visits can typically be arranged within 3–5 working days of instruction, with faster options for urgent deadlines. We confirm the survey duration and reporting programme with your quote.
Often, yes. Councils near the airports commonly expect aircraft noise to be considered, including early-morning and night movements, so the façade, glazing and ventilation design keeps bedrooms within the BS 8233 and ProPG guidance.
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 it, including Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. We regularly work in towns such as Guildford, Woking, Crawley, Brighton, Maidstone, Canterbury, Reading, Slough and Oxford, as well as across Hampshire from our Southampton base.
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.
Class MA prior approval requires the council to consider the impact of noise from commercial premises on the intended occupiers. Where a conversion sits near shops, bars or plant, a noise assessment is usually the clearest way to show the new homes will be acceptable. See our Class MA case study.
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.
South East 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
