November 2004 (PDF 11.6 MB) - Barrick Gold Corporation

1. The initial planning stage.A greenfield (undeveloped) site offers thegreatest management flexibility to zoneindustrial and noise-sensitive land. This isthe point where compatibility of differentland uses should be considered. In certaininstances where land is not at a premium,buffer zones that use land for recreational orbusiness purposes may be an option.2. The residential subdivision planning stage.When a commitment has already been givento locating residential and industrial landareas close to one another, but residentialdevelopment has not started, there is anopportunity to develop internal subdivisiondesigns that allocate the least noise-sensitiveland uses (for example, shopping centres,parks, sporting complexes) nearest to industry.It follows that the most sensitive landuses (for example, residential, places ofworship) would then be located furthestaway from industry.3. The house-design stage.If subdivision development has commencedin a potential noise-impact area, and there isno opportunity for flexibility in planningland use, controls on house design—toachieve the greatest level of external tointernal noise attenuation—can still beconsidered. This would include locatingliving areas of the house away from the faceexposed to noise, allowing the rest of thehouse to act as a barrier for it.Extractive industry by its nature has no locationalflexibility. In this case, appropriate strategic landuseplanning from a noise perspective could incorporateallowances for the fixed industrial site inlocating noise-sensitive land uses and associatedbuffer zones. To be effective, planning would needto anticipate future extractive-industry land requirements—whichimplies knowledge of the location ofmineable ore bodies—so residential developmentcan be isolated from these areas wherever possible.7.4 Controlling noise at the receiverNoise controls at the receiver are expensive whenmany receivers require treatment, but may beattractive and cost-effective where only a fewreceivers would be affected by noise and the alternativesare even more expensive source controls. Costeffectivenessis also determined by the increase infuture potential receivers where residential land isbeing developed near the noise source.The two major controls are insulation and doubleglazingof windows. For these to be effective, theresidence needs air conditioning, or a sophisticatedventilation system that does not compromise theeffect of the noise insulation.The most extreme control is property acquisition.7.5 Noise mitigation strategiesSelecting an appropriate strategy for a proposeddevelopment or alterations to an existing developmentinvolves the following steps:1. Determining the noise reduction required toachieve the project-specific noise levels.2. Identifying the specific characteristics of theindustry and the site that would indicate apreference for specified measures.3. Examining the mitigation strategy chosen bysimilar industries on similar sites withsimilar requirements for noise reduction; andconsidering that strategy’s appropriatenessfor the subject development.4. Considering the range of noise-controlmeasures available (as suggested in thischapter).5. Considering community preferences forparticular strategies. This is especiallyimportant when the community has particularsensitivities to noise.The preference ranking (from most preferred to leastpreferred) for particular strategies is:1. Land-use controls—a long-term strategypreferable to other measures when suchstrategic decisions are possible in planningland use, as it separates noise-producingindustries from sensitive areas and avoidsmore expensive short-term measures.2. Control at the source—BMP and BATEA—used in conjunction, these strategies are thebest after land-use planning, as they serve toreduce the noise output of the source so thatthe surrounding environment is protectedagainst noise.NSW industrial noise policy40