Over 80% of Londoners affected by construction noise

A new survey from urban impact agency Urban Thinking revealed 82% of those living in the capital have faced issues from construction noise in the past 12 months.

Almost one in three (32%) said they have been impacted by noise more than three times in the last year.

Dusan Durdevic, senior manager at Urban Thinking, said: “Noise pollution is a huge issue in the infrastructure development space and can have an impact on the public’s health and mental wellbeing.

“Most Londoners will have already been exposed to a noisier environment than those who live in the countryside, but development projects can produce levels of sound that can really create serious issues in the lives of those affected.

“It can also cause significant problems for construction companies, who can face hefty fines for breaching legislation around noise.

“Not only that, the reputational damage poor noise mitigation can cause to an infrastructure development project can really harm a business and can give people the impression those in charge are not considerate of those living in the local area.”

Developers are required by law to mitigate against noise pollution when working on a project.

Legislation, which is part of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, requires companies to limit noise between certain hours of the day and to use noise mitigation measures, such as sound barriers like Echo Barrier, to avoid disrupting the public.

Mr Durdevic added: “Infrastructure development projects contain, by their nature, associated noisy activities with heavy machinery and power tools reaching high decibel levels.

“Companies can be fined, or have their projects delayed or stopped altogether by local authorities, if they do not reduce the noise disruption. They also risk receiving complaints from angry residents who live nearby, leading to poor public perception.

“At Urban Thinking, we can help construction companies and developers navigate issues with noise, helping them to move forward successfully with their projects, while keeping the public safe from harmful noise exposure.”