Services · Residential noise assessments
Residential noise assessments for new homes, flats, conversions and Class MA prior approval, using ProPG and BS 8233 to design homes that are quiet, ventilated and comfortable.
We look at the whole picture for future residents: noise from roads, railways, neighbours and commercial uses, how the homes will be ventilated, and whether they will overheat if windows need to stay closed.
MIOA acoustic consultant · Class 1 instrumentation · Fixed-fee quotes · Site visits typically within 3–5 working days
At a glance
Guidance
ProPG, BS 8233, AVO Guide
Typical survey
24 hours to 7 days
Deliverable
Acoustic design statement
Used for
New homes, conversions, Class MA
Stage 1
ProPG initial site noise risk assessment
Stage 2
Full acoustic design statement
30 dB
Bedroom target at night, LAeq,8h
AVO
Acoustics, ventilation and overheating designed together
ProPG: Planning and Noise (2017) sets out a two-stage approach for new residential development in England. The bedroom target is from BS 8233:2014.
When you need one
Bringing an acoustic consultant in early lets layout and façade decisions be made before they are expensive to change. These are the schemes we help with most.
From single plots to larger schemes, where site layout, orientation and screening can design out noise.
Commercial, office and retail buildings converted to homes, where noise is a prior approval matter.
Flats above or beside shops, bars, takeaways, workshops or plant, where the Agent of Change principle applies.
Schemes where closed windows are needed for noise, and Approved Document O must still be met.
Already received a planning condition or an Environmental Health request for a noise assessment?
Send us the detailsWhat's included
ProPG sets out a good acoustic design process. We follow it from the first site risk check through to the glazing, ventilation and garden design in your acoustic design statement.
The goal is homes that meet the guideline levels and stay comfortable to live in, without relying on sealed windows wherever that can be avoided.
Residential guide
7 Planning Noise Issues That Delay Residential Applications
Read the guide →
Site noise risk assessment
An early ProPG Stage 1 view of the site, so layout and orientation can respond to noise from the start.
Output: negligible to high risk rating
Good acoustic design
Advice on layout, room placement, screening and orientation before relying on glazing alone.
Output: design recommendations
Internal noise levels
Façade-by-façade glazing and ventilation specifications to meet BS 8233 levels in bedrooms and living rooms.
Output: glazing and vent specification
Gardens and balconies
Noise levels in outdoor spaces, with screening or layout changes where they help.
Output: external amenity levels
Overheating
Coordination with Approved Document O and the AVO Guide where noise limits window opening.
Output: AVO-aligned strategy
Conditions and verification
Noise schemes to discharge conditions and pre-completion testing where the council requires it.
Output: condition discharge reports
Related services
Residential schemes often need more than one assessment. These services are regularly combined in a single report.
Planning-ready noise impact assessments for residential, commercial and mixed-use schemes, including responses to planning conditions.
Noise impact assessments →
Day and night noise surveys that set glazing, ventilation and garden design for new homes near roads, railways and industry.
Environmental noise surveys →
Air conditioning, heat pumps, extract and condensers assessed against background sound at the nearest homes.
Plant noise assessments →
Construction noise and vibration predictions, Section 61 applications and on-site noise monitoring.
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.
What we assess
Each assessment is designed around the sources that matter at your site, measured at the right times and positions.
Main roads, junctions and bus routes, including early-morning and night-time traffic.
Railways, trams and flight paths, including individual night-time events.
Shops, takeaways, pubs and bars below or beside new flats, including deliveries and music.
Condensers, extract and heat pumps on the scheme and on neighbouring buildings.
Workshops, yards and industrial estates, assessed with BS 4142 where relevant.
Party walls and floors in conversions, designed with Approved Document E in mind.
Policy and guidance
Every report is framed around the policy the case officer will apply, whether that's the NPPF in England or the Welsh and Scottish equivalents, plus the standards Environmental Health expect.
Planning policy
NPPF and PPG Noise
Planning Policy Wales and TAN 11
NPF4 and PAN 1/2011
Local requirements
Council Local Plans
Noise SPDs and guidance
Agent of Change
Class MA prior approval
Standards and guidance
ProPG: Planning and Noise
BS 8233:2014
Approved Document O
AVO Guide
Approved Document E
Where we work
We advise developers, housebuilders, architects and homeowners on residential noise throughout the UK.
Across England
Planning noise work for councils from Cornwall to Cumbria, run from our Southampton base.
London · South East · South West · East of England · Midlands · North West · North East · Yorkshire
Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Guernsey
Assessments framed around each nation's own planning policy and Environmental Health expectations.
Cardiff · Newport · Swansea · Glasgow · Edinburgh · Dundee · Aberdeen · Belfast · Guernsey
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions developers, architects and homeowners ask us most about noise and new homes.
A residential noise consultant assesses how noise will affect future residents of a new home or conversion, and designs the layout, glazing, ventilation and outdoor spaces so the homes meet the levels the council expects. The work is set out in a report for the planning application.
ProPG: Planning and Noise is professional guidance for new residential development in England. Stage 1 is an initial site noise risk assessment. Stage 2 is an acoustic design statement covering good acoustic design, internal noise levels, external amenity and other relevant issues.
BS 8233:2014 gives guideline levels of 35 dB LAeq,16h in living rooms by day and 30 dB LAeq,8h in bedrooms at night, with gardens ideally no higher than 50 dB LAeq,T and an upper guideline of 55 dB. Councils may also limit night-time noise events.
Often. Under Class MA, the council considers the impact of noise from commercial premises on the intended occupiers as part of prior approval. Our Kingsley case study shows a typical assessment beside a working vehicle workshop.
Approved Document O limits overheating in new homes. If windows need to stay closed at night because of noise, another way of keeping bedrooms cool is needed, so acoustics, ventilation and overheating should be designed together, following the AVO Guide.
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.
Yes. We prepare noise schemes and verification reports to discharge conditions on glazing, ventilation and internal noise levels, as on our Moston case study.
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.
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.
Residential noise assessments
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
