The Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006

Overview

These Regulations transpose the provisions of Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise from transport and industry. Through the Directive, the Regulations require, amongst other things, the identification of noise sources that will be the subject of mapping and action planning.

The Regulations will help identify:

• whether there are any people unnecessarily exposed to high noise levels, suffering accordingly and causing a cost to society; and 
• what areas of relative quiet we might or could have, thus enabling the UK Government to develop measures to protect them and not have the noise environment inadvertently eroded.

This information will enable the UK Government to understand better how the noise environment near major roads, railways and airports is changing. Policies can be developed that will enable strategic noise management to be carried out alongside the processes and procedures that already exist to address individual situations.

The Regulations require noise mapping and action planning process to be taken forward on a five–year rolling programme.

Please note that for organisations other than Councils and Government organisations, this will likely be 'for reference only' in a Compliance Register.