§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's policy regarding provision of double glazing, secondary glazing and other measures in connection with noise from road traffic;
403W(2) what steps he takes to monitor noise levels on urban and suburban roads;
(3) if he will introduce a minimum noise level which would automatically attract grant assistance for noise insulation.
Mr. BottomleyGovernment policy is to seek to reduce the effect upon residential properties of noise from new roads by careful design, including where appropriate the use of earth bunds and noise barriers. Under part I of the Land Compensation Act 1973, owner-occupiers can claim compensation from the Government in respect of depreciation in the value of their property arising from the use of a new road. Claims may be made as from 12 months after the road comes into use.
In addition, under the Insulation Regulations (1975 to 1988) the Government offer secondary glazing for eligible rooms of dwellings where it is estimated that maximum noise levels, during the 15 years after road opening, will be at least 68 dBA on the L10 18 hour scale, with a contribution of at least 1 dBA from traffic using the new road. Where insulation has been offered or installed, its benefit is taken into account when setting the level of part I compensation. These provisions apply to roads constructed on behalf of the Secretary of State. Local authorities follow similar procedures. The regulations also allow insulation to be provided on a discretionary basis in respect of noise insulation arising from road alterations.
For older, unaltered roads, there is no entitlement to compensation or noise insulation. In respect of trunk roads, the Department does occasionally exercise a discretion to provide noise barriers where the noise levels are high and where the benefits of barriers would be substantial.
We have no proposals to alter the qualifying noise levels under the noise insulation regulations or to seek to introduce qualifying noise levels for houses beside older roads. There is no general monitoring by the Department of noise levels on urban or suburban roads.