3 Noise Action Planning - Edinburgh
3.1 Noise Action Planning
This Edinburgh Agglomeration Action Plan addresses the minimum requirements for Action planning as set out in Annex V of the END as follows;
Table 3 Environmental Noise Directive minimum Action Plan contents and location in this document
No | Description | Location in this document |
|---|
1 | A description of the agglomeration, the major roads and major railways taken into account. | Section 2.5 |
2 | The authority responsible. | Section 3.2 |
3 | The legal context. | Section 2.2 |
4 | Any limit values in place in accordance with Article 5. | None |
5 | A summary of the results of the noise mapping. | Section 2.4 |
6 | An evaluation of the estimated number of people exposed to noise. | Section 2.4 and 4.3 |
7 | Identification of problems and situations that need to be improved. | Section 4.5 |
8 | A record of the public consultations organised in accordance with Article 8(7). | Section 2.8 |
9 | Any noise-reduction measures already in force and any projects in preparation. | Section 6.2 |
10 | Actions which the competent authorities intend to take in the next five years, including any measures to preserve quiet areas. | Section 5.4
Appendix 3 |
11 | Long-term strategy. | Appendix 4 |
12 | Financial information (if available): budgets, cost-effectiveness assessment, cost-benefit assessment. | Appendix 3 |
13 | Estimates in terms of the reduction of the number of people affected (annoyed, sleep, disturbed, or other). | Section 6.3 |
14 | Provisions envisaged for evaluating the implementation and the results of the action plan. | Section 7 |
It must be borne in mind that just as the published noise maps are strategic (see Section 2.3 for further explanation) this Action Plan is also strategic in nature, however the specific actions developed for the longer term may be more local.
3.2 Competent Authorities and Key Partners
The Scottish Government is the Competent Authority for END and is responsible for drawing up Noise Action Plans. While for Airports it is the Airport operator who is the Competent Authority. In the development and preparation of the Noise Action Plans, the Scottish Government has worked with key partners involved in END.
The key stakeholders/partners who were involved in this Action Plan are as follows:
- The Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA)
- City of Edinburgh Council
- East Lothian Council
- Midlothian Council
- BAA, Edinburgh
- Transport Scotland
BAA have worked very closely with the Scottish Governments' consultants to produce the required noise maps and have been fully involved in the Action Plan process in terms of both producing Action Plans for Edinburgh Airport and the Edinburgh Agglomeration Noise Action Plan.
3.3 Steering and Working Groups for Action Planning
The Scottish Environmental Noise Steering Group ( SENSG) is a group with representation from all parties involved in environmental noise. The group comprises representatives from the Scottish Government, local authorities, SEPA, BAA, Transport Scotland, Network Rail and Hamilton & McGregor consultants. The primary aim of SENSG has been to provide a forum for all key partners to review the development and progress of Action Plans and to determine the prioritisation of management measures.
SENSG acts as the core group to oversee the consistent development and implementation of all Action Plans. SENSG established three working groups to assist in the preparation of Action Plans and these groups feedback on a regular basis to the core group and this process will continue through the Action Planning process. There is a Glasgow agglomeration working group, an Edinburgh agglomeration working group and a Transportation Action Planning working group. All three groups have representation on the core steering group.
Airport operators have a key role to play in Action Planning and have been able to input to all working groups. The airport operators have also been represented on the Transportation working group. The Scottish Government's nominated noise mapping consultants, Hamilton& McGregor, assisted in the development of noise maps for the four major airports in Scotland with the raw noise data prepared by the Civil Aviation Authority ( CAA) for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports and Bikerdyke Allan noise consultants for Prestwick airport. This data was then transferred to Hamilton & McGregor who assisted the airport operators in the preparation of their respective maps.
BAA operate and represent Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports. It should be noted that while Glasgow Prestwick Airport met the criteria to qualify as a major airport for noise mapping, the number of qualifying aircraft movements has dropped and so no action plan has been prepared.
The diagram below illustrates the reporting structure for Action Planning and also clarifies the responsibilities for delivering the Action Plans.
The Action Plan comprises four key stages which are detailed below:
1. Analysis of the strategic noise maps;
2. Further investigation and analysis;
3. An evaluation of existing UK, Scottish and Local Policies, Plans and Programmes;
4. An evaluation of potential mitigation measures.