✓ Granted
Hospitality
Location
Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Planning authority
Westmorland and Furness Council
Application
B20/2025/0407
Decision
Granted with conditions, June 2026
Development
Replacement kitchen extract for a ground-floor restaurant and takeaway, with upper floors converted to a house in multiple occupation
Standards
BS 4142:2014+A1:2019, ISO 9613-2:2024, CIBSE Guide B4
Kitchen extract fans are a common cause of noise complaints, especially late at night. Here a new extract flue was proposed in an enclosed rear lightwell, close to neighbouring windows, for a takeaway open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Scheme
A disused town-centre building, formerly a takeaway with flats above, was proposed for conversion. The restaurant and takeaway use would stay on the ground floor and the upper floors would become a house in multiple occupation. A new mechanical kitchen extract system would replace the old, non-working flue in the rear lightwell.
The Noise Issue
With the old extract out of action, there was no existing plant noise to compare against, so the assessment had to take a conservative, worst-case approach. Unattended monitoring could not be safely left on site, and the critical period was late at night, when background sound is lowest and the extract would still be running.
What We Did
01
Took attended measurements at two positions, front and rear, on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 November 2025, targeting 23:00 to 01:00, the last two hours of weekend opening.
02
Took the lowest late-night background level measured at the rear, 44.5 dB LA90,15min, and adopted 45 dB(A) as the representative background sound level.
03
Predicted noise from the selected extract fan, with a nominal sound power level of 84 dB(A), at the nearest habitable windows of three neighbouring buildings using CIBSE Guide B4 and ISO 9613-2:2024, taking no credit for any attenuator or silencer.
04
Applied a precautionary +4 dB character correction for a possible tonal element during unusually quiet periods.
The Result
26 dB
Highest predicted rating level at a neighbouring window
45 dB
Representative late-night background level
19 dB
Margin below background at the worst-affected window
Planning Outcome
Predicted rating levels were 12 to 26 dB, at least 19 dB below the background sound level. BS 4142 indicates this as a low impact, and the extract was expected to be inaudible at the nearest homes. The council's noise officer checked the calculations and accepted the conclusions. Westmorland and Furness Council granted planning permission with conditions in June 2026 (B20/2025/0407), with the noise assessment listed among the approved documents.
Related services and guides
BS 4142 plant noise assessments →
Decision details are taken from the council's public planning register and can be checked by searching the application reference on the council's planning portal. Client and site details are kept confidential.
