Services · Environmental noise surveys
Planning-ready environmental noise surveys and BS 8233 noise assessments for new homes and mixed-use schemes beside roads, railways, airports and commercial noise.
We measure the noise your site actually experiences, day and night, then show how layout, glazing, ventilation and garden design achieve the internal and external levels councils expect under BS 8233:2014 and ProPG.
MIOA acoustic consultant · Class 1 instrumentation · Fixed-fee quotes · Site visits typically within 3–5 working days
At a glance
Standards
BS 8233:2014, ProPG
Typical survey
24 hours to 7 days
Deliverable
Planning-ready report
Used for
New homes, conversions, conditions
35 dB
Living rooms by day, LAeq,16h
30 dB
Bedrooms at night, LAeq,8h
45 dB
Night-time maxima often applied to bedrooms, LAFmax
50–55 dB
Gardens and balconies, LAeq,16h
Indoor and garden values from BS 8233:2014. The night-time maximum comes from ProPG and WHO guidance. Councils may set their own criteria in policy or planning conditions.
When you need one
Councils ask for a BS 8233 assessment whenever new homes, or other noise-sensitive rooms, are proposed somewhere noise could affect sleep, rest or the use of gardens.
New dwellings beside main roads, railways or flight paths, where façade design has to be proved before permission is granted.
Offices, shops and commercial buildings converted to flats, including Class MA prior approval where noise is a named matter.
Residential schemes beside workshops, pubs, plant or industrial estates, where BS 8233 is used alongside BS 4142.
Pre-commencement or pre-occupation conditions asking for a noise scheme, glazing specification or verification of internal levels.
Already received a planning condition or an Environmental Health request for a noise assessment?
Send us the detailsWhat's included
Every assessment follows the same evidence chain: measure the existing noise climate, predict levels at each façade and outdoor space, then design the mitigation needed to meet the guideline values.
The aim is proportionate mitigation: enough to protect future residents, without the cost of over-specified glazing or sealed windows.
Planning guide
Noise Survey Report Guide for UK Planning
Read the guide →
Baseline noise survey
Unattended monitoring with Class 1 instrumentation, covering daytime, night-time and the busiest and quietest periods.
Output: LAeq, LAFmax and LA90 data
ProPG Stage 1 risk assessment
An early view of whether the site is negligible, low, medium or high risk, so layout decisions are made before design is fixed.
Output: site noise risk rating
Façade-by-façade predictions
Noise levels at each elevation and floor, using a noise model where the site or source needs it.
Output: façade noise levels
Glazing and ventilation specification
The sound insulation each window and vent needs, written so your supply chain can price and procure against it.
Output: Rw and Dne,w targets
Gardens and balconies
Predicted noise in outdoor amenity spaces, with screening or layout changes where they are needed.
Output: external amenity levels
Overheating and ventilation
Where windows may need to stay closed, the acoustic and ventilation strategy is checked against Approved Document O and the AVO Guide.
Output: coordinated design advice
Related services
Many sites need more than one assessment. These services are often combined with a BS 8233 survey in a single report.
Planning-ready noise impact assessments for residential, commercial and mixed-use schemes, including responses to planning conditions.
Noise impact assessments →
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 →
ProPG and BS 8233 assessments for new homes, conversions and Class MA prior approval, including overheating.
Residential noise consultants →
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 measure
Each survey is designed around the sources that matter at your address, measured at the right times and positions so the results stand up to scrutiny.
Motorways, A-roads, junctions and bus routes, including HGVs and early-morning traffic.
Main lines, freight, stations and trams, including individual pass-by events at night.
Flight paths and airport approaches, including early-morning and late-evening movements.
Pubs, bars, takeaways and deliveries, including patron noise and music.
Condensers, extract fans and heat pumps on neighbouring buildings, assessed with BS 4142 where relevant.
Workshops, industrial estates and distribution yards, including night-time operations.
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
Planning conditions
Standards and guidance
BS 8233:2014
ProPG: Planning and Noise
WHO guidelines
Approved Document O
AVO Guide
Where we work
We carry out environmental noise surveys and BS 8233 assessments for developers, architects, planning consultants and homeowners 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 planning consultants ask us most about environmental noise surveys and BS 8233.
BS 8233:2014 is the British Standard on sound insulation and noise reduction for buildings. For planning, it gives guideline indoor noise levels for homes, such as 35 dB LAeq,16h in living rooms by day and 30 dB LAeq,8h in bedrooms at night, and advises that garden noise should ideally not exceed 50 dB LAeq,T, with 55 dB as an upper guideline value.
It is a measurement of the existing noise at a site, usually with unattended monitoring over at least 24 hours, so daytime, night-time and individual noise events are all captured. The results are used to predict noise at each façade and garden of the proposed homes.
Most residential surveys run for between 24 hours and seven days, depending on the noise sources and what the council expects. Busy roads may need only a day or two, while sites affected by railways, airports or weekend uses often need longer.
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.
ProPG: Planning and Noise is professional guidance for new residential development. It starts with an initial site noise risk assessment, then asks for an acoustic design statement showing good acoustic design, internal and external noise levels and any other relevant issues. Most councils in England expect it alongside BS 8233.
Not always. BS 8233 levels are usually assessed with windows closed and ventilation provided by other means, but good layout and screening can often allow windows to be opened for comfort. Where closed windows are needed, overheating must be considered under Approved Document O.
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.
Yes. We prepare noise schemes and verification reports to discharge conditions on glazing, ventilation and internal noise levels, as on our Moston 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.
Environmental 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
