Policy information sourced from the Waltham Forest Local Plan

50 Noise, Vibration and Light Pollution

Noise, vibration and light pollution will be assessed and minimised by:

A. Requiring applicants to demonstrate the impact of their proposed development on the noise environment and, where appropriate, provide a Noise Assessment. The layout, orientation, design and use of buildings should ensure that operational noise does not adversely affect neighbours, particularly noise-sensitive land uses such as housing, hospitals, schools and quiet open spaces;

B. Requiring proposals and supporting Noise Assessments to have regard to the Agent of Change principle, as set out in London Plan Policies D13 ’ Agent of Change’ and D14 ‘Noise’, and to minimise any potential noise conflict between existing activities and new development. Where the avoidance of noise conflicts is impractical or unavoidable, mitigation measures such as noise attenuation and restrictions on operating hours should be implemented, and will be secured through appropriate planning conditions;

C. Requiring noise and vibration from deconstruction and construction activities to be minimised and, where necessary, mitigation measures put in place to limit noise and vibration disturbance in the vicinity of the development;

D. Requiring developers to ensure that noise is reduced to an acceptable level, in line with the appropriate British Standard, during construction and operation, through the use of attenuation, distance, screening, or layout/orientation in accordance with London Plan Policy D14 ‘Noise’;

E. Ensuring that appropriate design measures are taken with external lighting schemes so they are contained and only illuminate intended areas; and

F. Resisting developments where floodlighting or external lighting would cause unacceptable levels of light pollution, by applying the standards and guidelines set out in the Institute of Lighting Engineers Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Obtrusive Light.