Some implications of the Noise Policy Statement for England for the regulation and permitting of industry by the Environment Agency of England and Wales

摘要

The Noise Policy Statement for England (NPSE), published by Defra in March 2010, describes a 'policy vision to facilitate decisions regarding what is an acceptable noise burden to place on society'. The publication of the NPSE coincided with the formal adoption and publication of the Noise Action Plans as required by the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Environmental Noise Directive. However, the potential implications of the NPSE go much wider. The Environment Agency in England is currently reviewing and rewriting its Horizontal Guidance for Noise. The updated guidance will be consistent with the aims of the NPSE, not least because the NPSE is largely consistent with the fundamental principles of the Environmental Permitting Regulations. This paper will discuss the aims of the NPSE and some less obvious and possibly surprising implications of the policy for industry regulated under an Environmental Permit administered by the Environment Agency. This work is likely to be of interest to consultants, planners and policy makers involved in Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC, Directive 96/61/EC and the superseding Directive 2008/1/EC), and the control of environmental impacts of industrial activities.