Proposed Amendment to The Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006
This consultation seeks views on amending the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006 to change the timing cycles for all mapping and action plan requirements from five years to ten years.
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58 days to respond
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3. Background
The 2006 Regulations require Scottish Government to produce strategic noise maps for agglomerations, major roads and major railways on a five-yearly basis and major airport operators to do the same in relation to airport noise. Other airports have obligations depending on their location and levels of noise. The 2006 Regulations implement Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (“the Directive”). The timings to deliver the environmental noise maps, develop the noise action plans and the subsequent implementation of the action plans are challenging.
To date, there have been four rounds of noise mapping and associated noise action plans, with the round 4 maps published in summer 2024, and associated action plans consulted on during 2025.
The 2006 Regulations were amended in 2018 to reflect changes made to the Directive, introducing improved methods for calculating noise exposure and incorporating advancements in computer modelling used to develop the noise maps. These methodological updates have resulted in a more comprehensive and robust modelling framework, enhancing the identification of areas with higher noise levels that may cause annoyance to residential populations. However, this improvement in modelling has extended the time needed to produce the noise maps.
The 2006 Regulations define:
a. “agglomerations” where there are more than 100,000 inhabitants in an urbanised area with a population density equal to or greater than 500 people per km2
b. “Major airport” where a civil airport has more than 50,000 take off or landings per year excluding those for training purposes on light aircraft;
c. “Major road” as a road having more than 3 million vehicle passages per year.
d. “Major railway” as a railway having more than 30,000 train passages per year.
Under the 2006 Regulations any airport in an agglomeration with Lden value of 55 dB(A) or greater or, has an Lnight value of 50 dB(A) or greater is required to prepare a strategic noise map. (In this consultation, unless the reference is to the specific definitions above, the term airport has the meaning of major airport and any airport in an agglomeration meeting the specified criteria above).