2.0 NOISE POLICY AND GUIDANCE
2.1 Former Guidance
2.1.1 In March 2012, Minerals Policy Statement 2: ‘Controlling and Mitigating the
Environmental Effects of Mineral Extraction in England - Annex 2: Noise’ was replaced by
the ‘Technical Guidance to the National Planning Policy Framework’.
2.1.2 Since the current planning permissions for operations at Grange Mill Quarry were
granted in 2013 the ‘Technical Guidance to the National Planning Policy Framework’ has
been replaced by the launch of the Planning Practice Guidance suite, a web-based
resource, in March 2014.
2.1.3 It should be noted that throughout this process the technical aspects of the guidance
have remained largely unchanged and have been carried through to form part of the
current guidance relating to noise emissions from mineral extraction as described below.
2.2 Current Guidance
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF, 2012)
2.2.1 The NPPF sets out the Government’s planning policies for England and how these are
expected to be applied.
2.2.2 Where issues of noise impact are concerned the NPPF provides brief guidance in
paragraph 123 where it states that planning policies and decisions should aim to:
• Avoid noise from giving rise to significant adverse impacts on health
and quality of life as a result of new development;
• Mitigate and reduce to a minimum other adverse impacts on health
and quality of life arising from noise from new development,
including through the use of conditions;
• Recognise that development will often create some noise and
existing businesses wanting to develop in continuance of their
business should not have unreasonable restrictions put on them
because of changes in nearby land uses since they were established;
and
• Identify and protect areas of tranquillity which have remained
relatively undisturbed by noise and are prized for their recreational
and amenity value for this reason.
Noise Assessment for ROMP Application
Grange Mill Quarry, Derbyshire
29 January 2016
Report No. R16.8932/2/AP
Page 6
2.2.3 Specifically in relation to mineral sites, the NPPF provides guidance in paragraph 143 and
144 as follows:
In preparing Local Plans, local authorities should:
• set out environmental criteria, in line with the policies in this
Framework, against which planning applications will be assessed so
as to ensure that permitted operations do not have unacceptable
adverse impacts on the natural and historic environment or human
health, including from noise;
• when developing noise limits, recognise that some noisy short-term
activities, which may otherwise be regarded as unacceptable, are
unavoidable to facilitate minerals extraction;
In determining planning applications, local planning authorities should:
• give great weight to the benefits of the mineral extraction, including
to the economy;
• ensure, in granting planning permission for mineral development,
that there are no unacceptable adverse impacts on the natural and
historic environment, human health or aviation safety, and take into
account the cumulative effect of multiple impacts from individual
sites and/or from a number of sites in a locality;
• ensure that any unavoidable noise, dust and particle emissions and
any blasting vibrations are controlled, mitigated or removed at
source, and establish appropriate noise limits for extraction in
proximity to noise sensitive properties.