§ Mr. SpeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the noise levels on the db(A) scale at which compensation or soundproofing grants may be payable for the United Kingdom and the other members of the European Economic Community in respect of new roads or railway lines.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 13 April 1989]: For England and Wales road traffic noise is covered by the Noise Insulation Regulations 1975. Broadly comparable regulations apply to Scotland. There are no such regulations applying to Northern Ireland. We do not have (for either road or rail) detailed information of arrangements in the other EC countries.
The 1975 regulations apply a threshold level of 68db(A)L10 18 hour. Where it is estimated that noise levels from traffic will within 15 years be at or in excess of this level at dwellings within 300 m of the new road, a duty is imposed on highway authorities to offer secondary glazing provided that:
- (a) the traffic noise level will be at least 1 db(A) more than the level before the road was built; and
- (b) noise from traffic using the new road will contribute at least 1 db(A) to the calculated level.
There is no statutory noise standard for new railways. For further information on rail noise insulation, I refer to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 10 April at column 409.