Our dedicated Acoustics team was set up in 2023, to complement the wider MKO team. 2024 marks the first full year in operation. The team is going from strength to strength, and carried out a large number of assessments during the year, many of which related to complex and challenging projects. Projects which the team worked on included the following:
- Wind turbine projects
- Solar farm projects
- Grid stabilisation projects (battery storage and synchronous condenser facilities)
- Waste management facilities
- Quarry assessments
- Assessments for large-scale residential developments
- Industrial and commercial facilities
- Assessments for two separate port facilities
- Complaint investigation for operators who have been subject to complaints
- Occupational noise assessments
- Assessments for several substitute consent projects
- An assessment of a large swimming pool complex
A big trend noticed by the team in 2024 is an increasing client requirement for preliminary acoustic assessments at the project design stage. In the conventional approach, the client’s project design team will present the design to the environment team (including the acoustics team) with minimal scope for changes. Clients are beginning to appreciate that preliminary noise modelling at the outset can save time and money later. Such preliminary modelling can then be used to identify the optimal layout and to inform the design team. A number of layout options can be assessed. The design team can then focus on the optimal layout option, and incorporate any noise mitigation measures recommended by the acoustics team. Mitigation measures incorporated at the design stage are typically more efficient (and cheaper) than measures retrospectively added.
Preliminary modelling is also useful at an even earlier stage in the process – the project feasibility stage. A client may propose a development at a location but may be concerned that certain acoustic challenges might render the project unviable. Such challenges include nearby receptors or low background noise levels. Rather than proceeding with the project design and commissioning a full EIAR, the acoustic team can carry out preliminary modelling at the very outset, to inform the client if the proposal is worth pursuing. In most cases where the acoustics team has carried out this work, the team concluded that the projects were indeed feasible, but that certain acoustic considerations would need to be borne in mind from the outset. The client has then instructed the team to carry out more detailed modelling with respect to several different layouts, and the results of this modelling are used to inform the final design. The final design has then been subjected to the full-scale noise impact assessment process as part of the EIAR or planning assessment.
Our Acoustics team is looking forward to 2025 and already has several challenging projects lined up. After the well-earned break, of course!