PLANNING · PLANT · COMMERCIAL

BS4142 noise assessments

Planning new equipment or a commercial development? We assess noise from plant and industrial activity and advise on practical noise control.

When this may help

Air conditioning, extract fans, generators and other fixed plant
New or expanded commercial and industrial premises
A planning condition or request for a noise impact report

What the work can include

Agree the assessment brief and relevant operating conditions
Measure the existing noise environment where required
Assess the proposed or existing noise source
Prepare a report with practical recommendations

Useful details for your enquiry

The site address or postcode
Equipment details and proposed operating hours
Plans and the wording of any planning condition

START WITH YOUR BRIEF

Already have a planning condition or assessment request?

Tell us what it asks for. Our consultant will review the requirements before agreeing the survey scope.

Tell us about your project

Prepare for your survey

Arrange access for the survey day and throughout the agreed monitoring period, with keys, escort and permissions for measurement positions where required.
Provide a site map showing the machinery or plant, nearby sensitive buildings and proposed measurement positions if known.
Provide machinery or plant operating hours and modes, including night-time, weekend, intermittent and maximum operating conditions where relevant.
Provide available manufacturer sound data and agree any safe plant-on and plant-off periods needed for the assessment in advance.
Confirm the site contact, induction, hazards and arrangements for monitoring equipment.

Please tell us before we travel if access, staff or operating conditions will not be ready. For distant visits we may travel the day before. We normally make no cancellation charge before setting off, but committed costs may still apply. Read our cancellation and preparation terms.

How we assess the noise

We assess how noise from industrial or commercial activity, including extraction and air conditioning plant, may affect nearby homes. Existing and proposed sources need different evidence, so the assessment starts with the equipment, its operating pattern and the surrounding area.

Review the planning or regulatory brief, source and receptor locations, site layout and representative operating conditions.
Measure the existing sound environment where needed, distinguishing ambient, residual and representative background sound. For existing equipment, source-on and source-off measurements can help where practicable and appropriate.
Establish the specific source sound by measurement or justified prediction. Proposed equipment may require manufacturer sound data, operating details and propagation calculations or a noise model.
Assess the rating level with justified consideration of tonal, impulsive, intermittent or other distinctive characteristics. Interpret the comparison with background sound in its context and consider uncertainty and mitigation.

What your report can include

The source and receptor context, operating hours, measurement positions, equipment, calibration and survey conditions.
Background and source sound evidence, prediction inputs, calculations and justified sound character corrections where applicable.
The BS4142 assessment where relevant, explaining context, uncertainty, assumptions and the likely significance of the sound.
Practical mitigation recommendations and any verification or further information needed. A numerical difference alone does not determine the outcome.

Information that helps us quote

What equipment or activity is involved, is it existing or proposed, and are manufacturer sound data and layout drawings available?
Where are the source and nearest homes or other sensitive uses, including approximate distances and heights if known?
When and how often will the source run, and can existing equipment be measured both operating and switched off?
What access is available to the source and suitable measurement positions, and are there any restrictions?

LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR PROJECT