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Yesterday, after 3 years the appeal against a Manchester City Council served a Noise Abatement Notice (NAN) on the venue District Judge McCormack handed down her ruling confirming a Statutory Nuisance was being caused, but also that the venue has a Best Practicable Means defense in place. Sustainable Acoustics Managing Director and expert witness Peter Rogers provided technical evidence to the court as the expert appointed by the venue, which formed the basis of the ruling to amend the notice in favour of the venue. It will now require nightclub style amplified music by DJ's on Friday and Saturday nights from 23:00 to operate to Test 1 settings. Find out more below. Acoustic tests shows the sound insulation to the flat next door to be poor, with a dip in performance at 250Hz. This was the core of the problem, and space constrains meant it was not possible to sound insulate further on either the residential side or the venue. After monitoring over 30 events it was possible to define a robust acoustic baseline, and a reasonable restriction position was proposed as "Test 1", for which the profile levels are shown below for the mixing desk position. This would result in the constraint of 56% of events from the fully unrestricted level. The judgement requires music from DJ clubnights do not exceed this, over a 5 minute period. A compression limiting device will be set up to ensure this is the case. Key elements of the judgement were as follows: The ordinary use of the residential was decided to be residential and not the warehouse use it had been previously, for which the planning condition had not been properly discharged to ensure the proper acoustic protection was in place. The ordinary use of the venue was found to NOT include the nightclub use, despite its 30 year history. The locality in the Northern Quarter of Manchester famed for its late night music venues, including the Hacienda, was a mixed use location, constantly changing and for which the venue should adapt to. The Best Practicable Means (BPM) defense was NOT in place at the time the NAN was served, but it was judged to now be in place and forms the basis of the amended NAN. The ruling effectively renders the residential (which is currently empty) as lawfully unusable, granting the venue the right to continue to cause a Statutory Nuisance. Agent of Change was not implemented in this situation, and this notice now effectively does this for the business, but leaves the resident high and dry, showing that Statutory Nuisance as a "safety-net" has a massive hole in it call BPM. For more see the case study where the full judgement can be found.

Sustainable Acoustics have collaborated with Apex Acoustics to complete an extensive piece of work, which yesterday was published by Welsh Government, and can be found here. Written Statement: Publication of the “Air Source Heat Pump Noise & Permitted Development Rights in Wales” report (phase 1 & 2) (11 January 2024) | GOV.WALES The Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS said "We wish to encourage residents to transition from fossil fuel heating to low carbon alternatives, but without creating noise nuisance. Therefore, we commissioned acoustics experts to investigate this distance rationale, to obtain and review related evidence, and to recommend whether the PDRs should be changed". Peter Rogers, the Managing Director who delivered the Phase 1 and 2 reports says "it is great to see our work published, which uses acoustics to provide an evidenced based set of recommendations for the Welsh Government in this important area for tackling climate change. We have considered carefully how the roll out might occur without causing people undesirable noise impacts to themselves or their neighbours, and how PDR might assist the roll out to pick up pace of delivery. Noise is a factor that needs considering in the selection and positioning of units, and through our work we hope will be a part of accelerating delivering of a sustainable future, using acoustics, which is our vision as a carbon neutral company" Phase 1 report deals with the evidence supporting noise being one of the biggest factors constraining deployment in Wales. The Phase 2 report identified key findings from the work, recommending that the 3m rule shoudl be removed as one of the big ones.

The Daily Telegraph article of 12th November 2023 say yes, but the reality is much more a story of why the right selection of units in the right place, together with good acoustic design is the key, demonstrating how acoustics is essential to the successful roll out of decarbonising technology. Yes the public should know to consider noise carefully, as part of the ASHP roll out. The article in full is included at the end of this piece. The press release containing our response to this article can be found here: Peter Rogers says “It is entirely possible to select a heat pump for its low noise emissions alongside the energy efficiency and I would encourage the public to ask installers to show them how they have done this, and in low background noise areas or places where there could be a number of ASHP to pay particular attention to getting this right. It is true that noise is an important factor to consider when installing a heat pump, and I thank the Telegraph for raising that point and grappling with the technical aspects of sound. It is also true that it can be done for even the most challenging property types, in most cases, if you get the right advice, as acoustics is complicated to get right. It maybe that an acoustic specialist will be needed to make sure you don’t cause yourself or your neighbours an impact to quality of life, as noise pollution can be detrimental to health and wellbeing”. He concludes in his LinkedIn comments "this shows again why acoustics is so important to humanities struggle to work out how to live more sustainably, and our vision of 'Acoustic for Life' is what keeps us moving in the right direction towards regenerative design". Guidance for the public on ASHP noise can be found on the Institute of Acoustics website here, with a noise calculator here. The original paper, presented at the Institute of Acoustics conference in Winchester in October 2023 that the article was based on can be found in full here : https://www.apexacoustics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NOISE-FROM-ASHPS-WHAT-WE-KNOW.pdf Heat pumps ‘too noisy’ for millions of British homes, Government told Green appliances fail to comply with disturbance guidelines in urban areas Heat pumps are too loud to be installed in millions of homes under the Government’s noise guidelines, ministers have been told. The Government wants to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 to hit net zero targets, but a report by sound specialists warns uptake could be limited. The study reveals that most heat pumps are too loud for many homes in built-up areas, such as terraced houses and flats, because they would break noise limits set for homeowners who want to install one without planning permission and with a government grant. Local authorities are also braced for a rise in noise complaints as more of the green appliances are installed in urban areas, the report seen by The Telegraph reveals. The findings, which were produced by a group of noise experts, have been sent to the Government to contribute to a review into heat pump noise being run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz). Air source heat pumps, which are positioned outside a home, can produce a low constant hum of between 40 and 60 decibels which is similar to the level of noise made by a fridge or dishwasher. They will typically run continuously throughout winter. The Government is encouraging homeowners to install heat pumps by offering up to £7,500 towards the cost under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). The grant was last month increased from £5,000 after fewer than 10,000 of an available 30,000 vouchers were redeemed in the first year. But in order to qualify for the government money, heat pump installations must comply with regulations set out by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) – including a minimum level of noise disturbance to neighbours. It means a heat pump must not generate a noise louder than 42 decibels within one metre of a neighbour’s door or window. Yet the report, which was presented to the Institute of Acoustics at a conference, found that of the top heat pumps from the five main manufacturers, not one device would meet MCS standards on noise unless the unit was at least 4m away. The authors warned: “Without the MCS there is no BUS grant and, therefore, a likely significant reduction in uptake of [heat pumps] across England and Wales.” Heat pump installations also have to comply with MCS standards to be installed without planning permission as a permitted development. The report was compiled by experts from the consultancies Apex Acoustics, Sustainable Acoustics and ANV Measurement Systems. Two of the consultancies were commissioned by the Welsh government to provide advice on heat pump noise, and a summary of the report’s findings have also now been sent to Desnz to be added into the UK-wide review. The researchers examined the heat pump product factsheets of manufacturers covering around 70pc of the market to work out how noisy they would be, and how far they would have to be sited from a neighbouring home to comply with guidelines. It found models designed to provide a higher heat output, or larger homes, would have to be put as far as 10m away. Peter Rogers, of Sustainable Acoustics, said all terraces, flats and tenement buildings – equivalent to 47pc of Britain’s housing stock – would struggle to install a heat pump under MCS guidelines. He also said some installations in semi-detached homes, which account for 31pc of homes in Britain, could breach guidelines. He said that information on noise levels was difficult for households to decipher, adding: “Sound emission data is provided by manufacturers for each model, but it varies hugely how easy it is to find and how it’s presented.” The researchers also raised concerns that installers do not always offer homeowners quieter models as they often only fit heat pumps made by one manufacturer and are limited to one firm’s products. Ministers aim to outlaw new gas boilers by 2035 in an effort to hit net zero. Gas boilers in new homes are to be banned from 2025. The report said planning offices had “tended to only concern themselves with visual aspects”, and that Welsh local authorities were expecting “a sharp increase” in noise complaints if UK Government rollout targets were met. To meet noise regulations and receive grant funding, some homeowners would have to build a sound barrier – potentially at a cost of up to £5,000 – said Jack Harvie-Clark, of Apex Acoustics. But even if sound-proofing was installed, it may not be enough to reduce the noise to an acceptable level. Alternatively, they could opt for a costly split system, where part of the heat pump is built inside the house. Mr Harvie-Clark added: “At the minute there is very little incentive for manufacturers to develop more sophisticated, quieter, air-source heat pumps.” The report concluded that “there is clear objective evidence that the sound emissions from [air source heat pumps] have the potential to cause annoyance and give rise to complaints”. However, it said manufacturers were increasingly making more efficient and quieter products and that heat pumps were needed to reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels. The MCS estimates that roughly 3,000 heat pumps are currently being installed every month. A shortage of engineers qualified to install heat pumps has compounded the problem. Bean Beanland, of the industry lobby group the Heat Pump Federation, said that regulation should be overhauled to encourage manufacturers to produce quieter units, adding: “The current system requires the box around the heat pump to be smaller than 0.6 cubic metres. If that stipulation didn’t exist, manufacturers would be able to put in more acoustic attenuation.” Charlotte Lee, chief executive of trade body the Heat Pump Association, said the industry continued to invest in product development and the number of ultra-quiet heat pumps will inevitably increase. She said: “Our industry will continue to support the installation of the most appropriate heat pump solution in all situations.“ A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said: “These claims fail to recognise that heat pumps have got significantly quieter over the past decade, with ultra-low noise emission models now available. “Heat pumps can be installed in the overwhelming majority of homes without the need for planning permission or additional acoustic insulation.”

On the 19th of July, a report on light and noise pollution was published by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee which has significant implications for how environmental noise pollution is dealt with in the UK. Both noise and light pollution impact negatively on human health through disrupting sleep and circadian rhythms. Epidemiological evidence suggests that noise pollution causes annoyance and increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. Research from the UK Health Security Agency suggests the equivalent of 130,000 healthy life years are lost from noise pollution each year in Britain. This has significant impacts on the economy: sleep disturbance is estimated to cost the UK economy £34 billion a year, according to RAND Europe, and noise and light pollution are contributing factors. Sustainable Acoustics welcomes the key findings of the report which has concluded that light and noise pollution are “neglected pollutants”, are poorly understood, and poorly regulated despite their potential to negatively impact human health. We are fully supportive of the report’s conclusions that noise is in need of a renewed focus. This is supported by findings from the UN Frontier Report 2022 Chapter One, Listening to Cities: From Noisy Environments to Positive Soundscapes, that places noise pollution as one of the key areas for focus, alongside wildfires and nature's adaption to climate change. At Sustainable Acoustics, we have seen how noise can all too often fall through the cracks between departments in Government and that the national policy for noise is not consistently implemented through central government and down to local government implementation on the ground. Noise can often be a serious problem within human settlements, which now contain over half of our human population. These issues can be expensive and complex to resolve retrospectively and these issues have not yet been given the priority to address them proactively in our cities. There is a significant impact on the health and well-being of a large number of people living in the UK from noise pollution and it is a relief to see this recognised. It is now for the Government to respond and make sure these recommendations are implemented. Sustainable Acoustics welcomes the key policy recommendations of the report which include: DEFRA should work with UKHSA and other organisations to assess the significant, growing evidence on the harmful health effects of noise. The Government should set up a noise expert advisory group, as exists for air pollution, to provide independent advice to the Government and a venue for new evidence, particularly on emerging health effects, to be assessed. The Government should set a specific target to reduce the health burden from noise pollution and identify and implement cost-effective interventions using its new mapping tools. This target should be in place by the time of the next five-year Environmental Improvement Plan cycle. Peter Rogers, MD of Sustainable Acoustics, who gave evidence to the committee on a range of issues, including the growing evidence on soundscapes and praise for the advancements in Wales says, “As more and more of us live in our towns and cities in greater densities, noise is and will become a bigger problem, burdening our nation’s health systems and degrading our happiness. We welcome this report for highlighting the negative health impacts of noise pollution and for acknowledging that the government needs to do more and for providing key recommendations. Peter goes on to say, “We hope this triggers the beginning of a transformation that addresses these negative impacts seriously, but also looks at the positive effects sound can have on our wellbeing and builds that into the design of our environments; to design better spaces for people, connecting people with healthier soundscapes that also bring us net bio gains. The aim must be to deliver regenerative design which gives both noise and sound the priority and attention they deserve. https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/193/science-and-technology-committee-lords/news/196536/light-and-noise-pollution-are-neglected-pollutants-in-need-of-renewed-focus/ https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5803/ldselect/ldsctech/232/232.pdf

In his role as Chair of the Parliamentary Liaison Group for the Institute of Acoustics (IoA) Peter Rogers gave noise evidence on 28 March 2023, to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee. Peter was part of a panel of experts giving evidence. The panel was made up of Stephen Turner, Immediate Past President of IoA, Peter Rogers, Chair of the Parliamentary Liaison Group, Paul Mucullogh member of Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Somayya Yaqub, member of CIEH. The session focussed on policy and the panel answered questions as part of the committee’s enquiry into the effects of noise on human health. The panel explained to the committee there is a strong evidence base for noise and the impact on human health, with noise control and noise management tackling the worst impacts. The panel also explained that noise is currently tackled through insulation, rather than good acoustic design of housing. There is a need for more research on balancing noise impacts of renewable technologies like air source heat pumps and for all disciplines to work together to find sensitive solutions as we work to build sustainable housing. The panel explained is the need for more research for further improving our understanding for noise sources, other than transportation (for which lots exists). There is also the emerging field of soundscape, which focuses on the positive aspects of sound in our environments. When asked to provide additional information on evidence supporting a healthy soundscape approach, Peter said; “..we spend over 90% of our lives inside these days… { } So part of this is about making sure that our internal environments are restorative—in other words, you can have quality sleep, rest and respite as well as the ability to access external space that has good-quality amenity, which is where soundscape quality comes in.” Peter explained that noise and soundscapes have recently been drawn to the attention of policy-makers around the world in a recent report by the UN. He said, “I would like to flag up and direct you to the UN Frontiers report 2022, which sets out clearly opportunities for moving forward. It is a great visionary approach and call from the UN to pick up on sound, particularly soundscapes, in dealing with noise pollution.” IOA representatives raised the current omission of noise from overarching government environmental policy. They explained the introduction of a Sound and Noise Management Strategy could help to address this, alongside an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) covering noise and health. It was explained that this would enable noise practitioners to more effectively draw issues to the attention of policy makers. When asked to sum up Peter said: “I remind everyone that noise and sound are ubiquitous; they affect all our lives all the time. It is the way we connect to our environment… “ Peter went on to explain, “So my number one priority would be restorative soundscapes. It is thinking about what it takes for us to be able to sleep well, to have respite and to recover, to play and have vibrancy and to enjoy that, and ultimately to engage with the world around us in a way that is restorative for bioservices.” Watch the full session here on Parliament TV: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/c518f605-9151-41a8-a8a0-19f87e8b5a78

We are extremely proud that one of our own - Jim Smith - is starring in the lead role in an Amateur Dramatics production of ‘School of Rock’, The Musical. The show is being staged by local theatre group, “Spot On Productions” and is based on the iconic movie starring Jack Black, featuring 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, along with the songs from the movie. It covers the hilarious story of out-of-work musician, Dewey Finn, posing as a substitute music teacher and transforming his students into a mind-blowing rock band.” ‘School of Rock’ is a celebration of the empowering force of music… A message which unequivocally resonates with Acousticians. Since seeing the movie at the age of 12, Jim says he has carried the themes of ‘School of Rock’ with him: those of self-expression, camaraderie, inclusivity, challenging convention, the power of music, and the ultimate message that true success is about fullness of life, not achievement. Jim also found the story helped him find purpose as a young rock guitarist. Upon taking the lead role in this production Jim said, “I never believed I would one day be stepping into the shoes of Dewey. I am endlessly grateful to the cast for their truly incredible skill, the crew for their support and I am hugely looking forward to Opening Night.” ‘School of Rock’ is being staged at ‘the point’, Eastleigh, running from 16th – 20th May, 2023. www.thepointeastleigh.co.uk

We are delighted to have been appointed by Welsh Government to conduct a project in collaboration with Apex Acoustics into this important topic. The purpose of the project is to explore the evidence supporting noise being an issue with Air Source Heat Pumps, ahead of the drive for low carbon heating alternatives to fossil fuel boilers for welsh homes. The second part of the project will consider how Permitted Development rules may respond to the findings of the first part of the study. Peter Rogers says " This project shows how acoustics and a low carbon energy further are closely linked, and essential to get right to create a sustainable future. We are delighted to be working collaboratively with Jack Harvie-Clark @ApexAcoustics to bring together our skills to deliver a clear evidence based future". The project is due to deliver its report at the end of March 2023, which we will make available here. For further information read more... #Energy, #Acoustics, #ASHP, #Noise, #AirSourceHeatPumps, #HeatPumps, #SustainableSolutions, #AcousticsForLife

We are delighted to announce that Angela has joined our team as a Senior Consultant, who brings with her a wealth of experience in environmental acoustics and as a champion of Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity to our professional body (the Institute of Acoustics). This is a great Christmas present for us and with over 14 years in acoustics she makes our overall experience as a team a total of over 100 years ! We think it is a great match, and look forward to introducing her to our clients, friends and our ethos. She begins work with us on an exciting project for the Welsh Government on Air Source Heat Pumps and Permitted Development. Read more .....

The BBC has recently investigated the ‘Holmfield Hum’ and Peter Rogers, MD of Sustainable Acoustics and Institute of Acoustcis Council Member was invited by the BBC to comment. The 'Holmfield Hum' is a low frequency noise which has been impacting a number of residents in the village of Homfield, in Yorkshire since 2019. Despite several attempts the local authority has been unable to identify the source of the noise. Peter explained that the threshold for nuisance is quite high and often these sorts of hums are low level, making it hard for Local Authority officers to assess. Peter said it doesn’t mean the noise is not measurable. He went on to discuss how low frequency noise affects people differently and the challenges of identifying the source. The article was published and aired on 7th December 2022. Watch the full news clip here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-63610977

What makes Mary Hare and its teaching special is that children with severe hearing needs do not rely on use of sign language when learning, but on the spoken word to understand. This prepares the children for the world and for this to be possible conditions that maximise speech intelligibility are needed. This is where the acoustic design comes in, and why it became of central importance to the successful design of this new exemplar school for deaf children. Read on to find out more about how Sustainable Acoustics achieve that, and what the client and designer thought.... Read more

The 51st International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering was held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on the 21-24 August 2022. The theme was Noise Control in a more Sustainable Future. As part of this theme the Scottish Soundscape prize was launched, sponsored by Sustainable Acoustics and d & B audiotechnik and in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The main theme of the piece was inspired by natural Scotland but from the perspective of Glasgow, with this context providing the lens to provide an anchor and sense of place. The Scottish Soundscape prize invited students to enter submissions that made a noisy and reverberant space more engaging, relaxing and restorative to support the wellbeing of the listener. A shortlist of submissions was exhibited throughout the conference. The ISO 12913 Soundscape Standard was used by the judges whilst they considered the performance of each soundscape against the standard. Peter Rogers, MD of Sustainable Acoustics said; “This was a ground-breaking and exciting soundscape competition which we have been delighted to sponsor. We hope this provides inspiration for how composed soundscapes can be useful in practice.” The winner of the Scottish Soundscape Prize - Connecting to Nature - sponsored by Sustainable Acoustics, is Carmen Rosas-Perez from Herriot-Watt University. On receiving her prize Carmen said, “I’m so pleased people enjoyed [the soundscape] and found all the elements that I wanted to transmit with it. These sounds are in fact very special to me. All the recordings were done in Scotland of course, on a field recording trip that was one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had.” The Runner Up, winning £250 from sponsor Sustainable Acoustics is Kieran Davies, from the University of Salford. Rebekah Strong, Nature Based Solutions Policy Adviser at the Scottish Wildlife Trust said, “It was a wonderful opportunity be involved in the Scottish Soundscape competition. The entries were all fantastic and it was fascinating to see the different associations and interpretations of nature and the emotions evoked by the soundscapes. It was a great way of demonstrating the ways in which nature helps us.” Thanks go to the sponsors and to partners The Scottish Wildlife Trust, as well to the judging panel. The Soundscape Experiences are available on our homepage.

Leading with the conference theme and chairing the session Peter Rogers sets out a framework for acoustics to create healthy spaces for all - People & Planet. The Rogers Lexicon is launched and acousticians encouraged to make the paradigm shift needed for a sustainable future. Read more in the coverage by Ecophon here.