Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment for Residential Development in City Centre and Tourism Clusters

Prior to the determination of any planning application for residential development in the city centre and/or in a tourism cluster, a Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment should be undertaken. This should identify adverse noise and/or vibration from an existing evening and night-time economy source that may impact on proposed noise sensitive development. All other relevant noise sources such as traffic, and plant and equipment noise, etc. should also be considered. The purpose is to demonstrate whether significant adverse noise impacts are likely to occur and, if so, identify effective measures to reduce, control and mitigate the impact. The Assessment should outline the mitigation measures to be incorporated into the new noise sensitive development. To create an attractive indoor and outdoor residential environment, consideration should be given to the positioning of the building, design features, including outdoor amenity areas, layout of habitable rooms such as locating bedrooms on a quieter façade, and sound proofing of the proposed development to mitigate the impacts of the noise, to achieve a where possible a good standard of amenity for future occupiers.