The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy Mayor of London 3
Box 3: Key responsibilities
The Government is responsible for aviation policy, and regulating
Heathrow Airport. The Highways Agency manages motorways in
London. Transport for London manages 580 kilometres of streets, and
London boroughs most of the rest. The Environment Agency,
working with boroughs, has responsibilities under ‘Integrated Pollution
Prevention and Control’ for regulating certain industries. Boroughs are
responsible for local planning, licensing and ‘statutory nuisance’
functions related to noise.
1.4 Borough Environmental Health Officers are typically hard-pressed
responding to neighbour noise problems, local licensing and development
applications. Improving soundscape management will require the efforts,
not only of acousticians and other noise specialists, but of town planners,
architects and urban designers, traffic engineers, housing, parks and
public space managers, and many others. Some London boroughs have
been developing more proactive action. Experience elsewhere in Europe
suggests that more resources will be needed if aspirations towards better
noise management are to be realised. 2
1.5 The European Commission green paper, ‘Future noise policy’ 3 , stated that
‘Environmental noise, caused by traffic, industrial and recreational
activities is one of the main local environmental problems in Europe.’ It
sought a Directive addressing assessment of noise exposure and exchange
of information. In a second stage, target values could be set. The
European Environmental Noise Directive 4 (END) was adopted in June
2002. Its requirements include mapping of environmental noise and the
preparation of action plans.
1.6 The Greater London Authority Act requires the Mayor’s Strategies to have
regard to the principal purposes of the new authority, which are to
promote London’s economic and social development, and environmental
improvement. The Strategies must also have regard to health, equality of
opportunity and sustainable development. They must be consistent with
each other, with national policies, and must take account of resources
available for implementation. The Strategies must take account of the
desirability of promoting and encouraging the use of the River Thames. In
producing the Strategies, the Mayor must have regard to any guidance
issued by the Government, such as Planning Policy Guidance Note 24 5 on
noise in the town and country planning process. The UK national policy
context is evolving (see box 4).