South Downs Safety can prepare and submit Section 61 applications on your behalf.

Through co-ordination with the Local Authority, contractor and specialist consultants, such as acousticians, we can prepare and submit a Section 61 application on your behalf prior to starting your development.

Section 61 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 allows developers and their building contractors to apply for ‘Prior Consent’ for noise generating activities during the construction phase of a development. This proactive approach requires the assessment of the construction working methods that will be used to undertake the work and the prediction of likely construction noise levels at sensitive receptors. It is intended to manage the generation of construction noise using the ‘best practicable means’ available to complete the works.

Key considerations:

1. To assess the impact of noisy work baseline levels of ambient noise and vibration on the Site boundary should be established. This data may be available from work carried out for the planning application stage of the development. The measured noise and vibration data should include results for periods during which the works will be carried out.
2. Predictions of construction noise should be calculated at one metre, free field, from the facades of the worst affected (generally the nearest) sensitive receptors, thus allowing for a ‘worst case scenario’ noise assessment to be made.