HL Deb 10 January 1995 vol 560 cc19-20WA
Lord Brougham and Vaux

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have to review the Planning Inspectorate.

for maintenance is difficult and has substantial road safety implications for personnel undertaking the maintenance work. The Government commissioned research through the Transport and Road Research Laboratory between 1974 and 1982 which showed that, although vegetation could perform a screening function for some pollutants, especially particulates, for many species this resulted either in damage to, or the death of the plants, so making any benefits short term. Planting including hedgerows is therefore usually provided as a means of visual screening or to help integrate the road into the landscape through which it passes. This means that predominantly native species are used. Research in this country and practice abroad have shown that very dense vegetative barriers can reduce measured noise levels. However, there are problems with the sustainablity and maintenance of such barriers. The best species to achieve the required density is willow, and this often needs irrigation and can suffer from pest attack. Traditional hedges are not dense enough to have a noticeable effect on measured noise. There is research evidence to suggest that listeners perceive some noise reduction when the noise source is partially visually screened. Currently we are undertaking research to see how we might use vegetation to exploit this perceived benefit.