Natural Science Forum / Physics / Acoustics / February 2004

I would suggest that you ask the local authority concerned to quote the
"(legal) limits" and also to explain exactly which particular piece of
planning guidance leads them to believe that such a requirement is
justified. This one looks like someone is trying to stretch the planning
system to fit their own agenda.

Gordon

Subtract one to reply

    Another bureaucrat with too much spare time.

    Answering bureaucratic generalities like this requires an analagous
general answer. It looks like you are obliged to study the "Red data
book" for protected species. Beyond that, I suggest that, after
exhausting the Red Data Book and make a site survey for same, you
preface your response with (if it is true) "There are no known
audio-sensitve flora and fauna in the vicinity of this project."

    This deflects the ball back into their court. They may well either accept
it, or come back with a request to "Survey the project for XYZ critters
with sensitive hearing." or the like, but who knows.

    Angelo Campanella.

You can skip all flora as they do not have ears. As far as I know, it has
not been shown plants are sensitive to vibration (if any vibration is
present in your development).

Regarding fauna, in the Netherlands it has been shown that certain bird
species are sensitive to noise of roads and railroads. At least, noise has
been taken as a dose for all disturbance of these sources. For railroad
noise and birds you could read this:
http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~felbers/publicaties/Overig/Disturbance_Birds.pdf
The limits are not legally binding in our country, but the results gives
guidance for the amount of disturbance a development might cause on bird
population. In our very crowded country, one has to compensate for any lost
area for certain species and habitats. There is an EC guideline on habitat
protection, I suppose this is valid in UK as well, but it does not contain
fixed noise limits.

For other fauna no dose-effect relations have been determined as far as I am
aware, which probably means the effect is very small, if any exist. (For
seals it has been shown there is no effect for severe building noise, I can
find the reference if you like)

Elly Waterman (elly DOT waterman AT dBvision DOT nl )