The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

xvi Mayor of London
The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
areas in which planning, licensing, policing, transport and street
management can be better co-ordinated.
36 Design needs to give a higher priority to all aspects of sound, not just the
most annoying noises. Better soundscapes will be sought in public space
projects. Passive ventilation and cooling of buildings can avoid annoying
fan and other plant noise. Building over suitable railways, roads,
superstore car parks and other facilities, could provide valuable space for
recreation, housing, commercial and other purposes, as well as shielding
people in the surrounding areas from noise - subject, of course to local
amenity, cost and many practical considerations.
37 London’s open spaces and green networks can provide ‘reservoirs of
tranquillity’ in a compact and intensive city. The Mayor will promote
positive management of open space soundscapes. Tensions between quiet
and noisy recreation need to be managed, and ‘access to quiet’
considered. Places which provide havens of tranquillity from the city’s
bustle need special attention. So do those which have unusual or
interesting sounds which add to London’s diversity. Maximising the area
of ‘soft ground’ and dense vegetation, where public safety allows, can
help minimise noise in compact urban environments.
Joined-up noise management
38 Partnership working will be vital to improving London’s soundscapes. Action
on ambient noise needs to be integrated with that on other noise issues,
and with other policy areas. It is important that noise policy does not aim
just at long term ‘averaged noise’. Computerised noise mapping only
captures some of the noise problems people experience. Qualitative issues
need to be addressed. It is important that local ownership and access are
secured, that mapping can be used for practical planning and other
purposes by boroughs and others, and that funding for action is secured.
Data assembled for noise mapping can also help in better management of
daylighting, sunlighting, and warmth and energy from the sun.
39 The Mayor wishes to promote exemplar monitored noise reduction
projects in each part of London. A London Ambient Noise Fund needs to
be established, recognising the special burden London carries through
being the gateway to the UK. Social and economic inequalities between
different groups of people, and past under-funding should be recognised
in future resource allocation. ‘Polluter pays’ levies should feed through to
noise mitigation and compensation.
40 However, this should not be seen as a ‘killjoy’ strategy. The aim should be
positive management of sound quality - treating the ‘soundscape’ with