Multiple wins and commendations at this year’s ANC Awards

We are absolutely thrilled to be able to announce that, last night, our Acoustics team won not one but two awards at this year’s Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) Awards.

The ANC Acoustic Awards promote and recognise excellence among UK acoustic consultants. The 2023 Awards took place at the Annual Conference at the Crowne Plaza in Birmingham on 20th September. Our team, led by Jody Blacklock, gave four presentations on our shortlisted schemes and why they showcase excellence in acoustics. Later that evening the winners were announced.

All of us here are over the moon with the results and would like to say congratulations to Jody Blacklock, Ben Dixon, Mat Tuora and Sam Ward. We already knew they were good, but this cements their status and growing reputation for excellence in project management, communication and delivery.

For more on the Awards please visit – https://www.association-of-noise-consultants.co.uk/awards-2023/

Environmental Noise: Infrastructure – Award Winner

7 Thames Road is a co-location scheme with 131 residential units (20% London Affordable Rent) and 2050 sqm Class E industrial space. The development also includes landscaping and public realm improvements, play spaces, car parking and other associated and ancillary works. The Inland Homes plc development will form part of the overall Thames Road Masterplan, which sets out the principles for intensifying industrial uses on River Road and transforming Thames Road to a co-location and residential area.

The proximity of existing industrial and commercial neighbours meant a Detailed Noise Assessment was required. The data from this assessment enabled us to design in appropriate noise mitigation through innovative solutions. The high levels of noise in the area also had a knock-on effect on the Ventilation and Overheating Strategy for the development, which required our team to work closely alongside KSS Architects, Planning Potential and Inland Homes PLC to review the proposed strategy and implement the required changes to ensure noise impact was negated.

Environmental Noise: Infrastructure – Award Winner

This Road Planing Application shows how specialist acoustic knowledge, prediction and monitoring can help protect our historic villages and towns from modern construction methods capable of generating potentially significant levels of vibration. Some of these historic properties, which were approximately 300 years old, had basements which extended underneath the road which was being resurfaced. Through detailed discussions, measurements and calculations, we were able to predict and safeguard these properties. We provided mitigation advice during the works and the monitoring evidence for the contractor, in support of any future claims of damage or disturbance caused by noise and vibration.

Sport and Leisure – Highly Commended

To support the planning application for Bennetts Farm Sporting Village, the largest clay pigeon and sport shooting facility in the UK, we undertook baseline noise surveys and a detailed series of shotgun measurements on the proposed site and a surrogate site. This allowed us to construct a detailed 3D noise propagation model to account for the highly directional nature of the gunshots. We used site topographical surveys for the green areas and LiDAR data for the wooded areas to construct the model for the 200+ acre site. All the while, we were acutely aware of the issue of modelling explosive sources and the relationship with moving projectiles, blast waves and acoustic waves.

Environmental Noise: Non-Infrastructure – Commended

Alma in Swanscome is change of use scheme that presented our Acoustics team with a real challenge; a nearby chiller unit attached to a different building was causing high noise levels and required mitigation. It was starkly obvious that the best solution was to replace the chiller unit entirely. This had its own issues however, as it would trigger another planning application on a separate site, incurring associated costs, time and resources. To mitigate these issues, we compiled evidence to show that the complete replacement of the chiller unit would benefit everyone in the area, whilst also reducing the running costs for the building occupier and being more beneficial for the environment in terms of energy usage. We also made the case that the unit it was replacing was planning exempt. The Local Planning Authority agreed and permitted the replacement to go ahead, without triggering planning, provided a BS4142 for the new unit was conducted.