To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date his Department first proposed that a neighbourhood noise strategy would be published; and when he now expects the strategy to be published. (295166)

In December 2002, the Government noted that there was a need for a Neighbour Noise strategy to compliment the support that had been received for developing an Ambient Noise strategy. Subsequently, it was agreed that it would be sensible to combine the proposed ambient and neighbourhood strategies into a single strategy addressing environmental, neighbour and neighbourhood noise.

However, 2002 was also the year that the environmental noise directive (END) became law, and its implementation has had to be the Department’s main focus of activity regarding noise. In meeting the requirements of the END, we are now progressing noise action plans, and this is helping to refine existing policy as evidence on the effects of noise continues to emerge.

The Government are in the process of consolidating, for all sources of noise, their longer term noise management policies, some of which can be found in the draft noise action plans, and determining how these could be best delivered.