Wilson 40 Years On Strategic Planning (Noise in Towns, and Noise in the Country) R.M. Thornely-Taylor Rupert Taylor Ltd

Few motorways Britain an industrial nation with poor understanding of hearing damage Aircraft as noisy as they have ever been No Environmental Statements No L eq Railways in decline and few complaints about noise - trams almost gone Primitive music reproduction systems Inadequate professional knowledge about noise Ice Cream chimes were a problem Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Wilson’s world:

“Paragraph 117” Construction Noise Industrial Noise Rating Motor vehicle noise limits NNI Sound Insulation between dwellings Development Control Noise Rating of Machines Pedestrianisation and traffic bans Mineral workings Better professional knowledge - better instruments Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Registration of noisy processes and removal of BPM defence Towns with raised pavements above sound- absorbent ground floors with windowless walls to be used for vehicles Roads such as London’s “Motorway Box” Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to that never came….

Paragraph 117:...a very tentative estimate is that the following levels inside living rooms and bedrooms should not be exceeded for more than ten per cent of the time: SituationDay Night Country areas40 dBA30 dBA Suburban areas, away from main traffic routes45 dBA35 dBA Busy Urban areas50 dBA35 dBA Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Construction Noise (§475):...at present, noise levels outside the nearest building at the window of the occupied room closest to the site boundary, should not exceed: 70 dBA in rural, suburban and urban areas away from main road traffic and industrial noise 75 dBA in urban areas near main road and heavy industrial areas. Wilson recommended a procedure eventually enacted as Sections 60 and 61 of the Control of Pollution Act 1970 Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Industrial Noise Rating (§383): Wilson commissioned BRS to find a simpler procedure than frequency analysis to enable a reasonable forecast to be made of the community reaction to noise emanating from factories. Result:dBA and Corrected Noise Level - BS 4142:1967 style Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

NNI: Wilson commissioned the first Social Survey in the Vicinity of London (Heathrow) Airport: Result:NNI and the noise insulation grants scheme Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Sound Insulation between dwellings: At the time the Wilson report was published, the “deemed to satisfy” requirements in the Building Regulations had not been made. Only in Scotland was there an insulation requirement. Wilson placed great emphasis on the need for higher insulation between dwellings. Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Development Control: Ten years before Circular 10/73 Wilson recommended (§334): “…If necessary, further powers should be made available to control development so as to avoid serious nuisance from noise.” Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Noise Rating of Machines: A generation before the EU Directives Wilson recommended (§364) the provision of comparable information on the noise levels of machines: Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Pedestrianisation and traffic bans: Long before the GLC lorry ban, the widespread use of pedestrian areas and the congestion charge... Wilson called for towns to be subdivided into areas from which all but very local traffic would be excluded. Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Mineral Workings: Wilson recommended control of noise from mineral workings as industrial noise or construction noise, as appropriate. Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Better professional knowledge - better instruments: Wilson would be well pleased with today’s breadth and depth of expertise, and the huge growth in the capabilities of instrumentation. He might think we could now use more sophisticated assessment and rating techniques. Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things to come….

Registration of noisy processes and removal of BPM defence: W ilson thought that if all noisy processes could be registered, there would be no need for a statutory defence of “Best Practicable Means” for all other industrial noise cases. Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things that never came….

Towns with raised pavements above sound-absorbent ground floors with windowless walls to be used for vehicles : Wilson had a futuristic vision from the centre pages of “Eagle”. He was looking to canalisation of urban traffic, for example on to London’s ill-fated motorway box or Newcastle’s city centre motorways Wilson’s Strategic Vision: Things that never really came….

Major reductions in aircraft source noise levels but major growth in numbers and demand for new airports Major growth in traffic volumes and rural/suburban highways Railways and trams revived Tranquil areas shrinking Noise Mapping Noise from leisure: music, clay targets, vehicle racing Vague noise limitation in UK law and practice...and WHO Guidelines Wilson in the 21st Century: Things that are here now….