Noise & Air Quality – Dexion House, London

ACCON carried out comprehensive noise and air quality assessments for a proposed hotel and residential units within the London Borough of Brent.

The development site itself is adjacent to the B4565 Empire Way which has been designated as an Air Quality Management Area since 2005.

The purpose of the assessments was to determine to what extent air quality and noise issues constrain the residential development of the site.

The detailed air quality assessment considered the overall levels of hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulates (PM₁₀) in the vicinity of the site. The predicted concentrations were verified to bias-adjusted local monitoring results to ensure the model was not under or over-predicting.

The modelled results indicated that in the area of the proposed development closest to the road would exceed air quality limits whilst the residential units to the rear of the hotel would not exceed the limits. The predictions also indicated that the impact of traffic associated with the development would be insignificant.

The extensive noise assessment undertaken assessed the road traffic in order to determine to what extent noise would constrain the development of the site. The road noise source was modelled using CadnaA noise software in order to clarify the distance attenuation and the shielding effects of the hotel building upon the noise levels at the proposed residential units. Additionally, mitigation options were reviewed to ensure that internal noise levels met the WHO and BS 8233 guidelines.

The planning application was subsequently  granted in April 2010.