The strategic noise mapping excercise is seen as the first stage of a process intended to avoid, prevent or reduce on a prioritised basis the harmful effects, including annoyance, due to exposure to environmental noise. The noise maps will provide a base line against which noise policy can be judged. Noise mapping on this scale has never been carried out in Scotland or the UK before and until the results of the mapping excercise are known then the measures required and associated costs to reduce environmental noise are difficult to predict.
The Directive requires that Action plans must at least include the following elements:
- - a description of the agglomeration (large city), the major roads, the major railways or major airports and other noise sources taken into account,
- - the authority responsible,
- - the legal context,
- - any limit values in place,
- - a summary of the results of the noise mapping,
- - an evaluation of the estimated number of people exposed to noise, identification of problems and situations that need to be improved,
- - a record of the public consultations,
- - any noise-reduction measures already in force and any projects in preparation,
- - actions which the competent authorities intend to take in the next five years, including any measures to preserve quiet areas,
- - long-term strategy,
- - financial information (if available): budgets, cost-effectiveness assessment, cost-benefit assessment,
- - provisions envisaged for evaluating the implementation and the results of the action plan.
The actions may for example include:
- - traffic planning,
- - land-use planning,
- - technical measures at noise sources,
- - selection of quieter sources,
- - reduction of sound transmission,
- - regulatory or economic measures or incentives.
Each action plan should contain estimates in terms of the reduction of the number of people affected (annoyed, sleep disturbed, or other).
The Commission may develop guidelines providing further guidance on the action plans.
The Scottish Executive are currently working on guidance for Action Planning and this should be available in July. One of the areas that should be addressed is how to identify quiet areas in agglomerations. A research report which recommends a methodology has now been published, and we are currently considering its findings.