M Sport Evaluation Centre ( MEC ) Dovenby Hall Estate

Transcription

1 M Sport Evaluation Centre ( MEC ) Dovenby Hall Estate Noise Management Plan Date 31/7/15 Issue No 2e DRAFT

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Policy Statement 2. Introduction/Purpose 3. Responsibility and Authority 4. Noise Monitoring 5. Strategy 6. Categories of Use/Operation Controls 7. Complaints Procedure 8. Before use commences 9. Conclusions Appendix A B C Specification for Trackside Monitoring System Glossary of Terms Map of Receptor Locations

3 1. POLICY STATEMENT It is the objective of M-Sport Limited to ensure that the surrounding amenity is not adversely affected by noise arising from activities associated with the use of M-Sport Evaluation Centre(MEC) test track. 2. INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE 2.1. This Noise Management Plan (NMP) has been prepared in compliance with the requirements of condition 6 of planning permission reference 2/2014/0350 (hereinafter referred to as the planning permission The NMP will be subject to review by Allerdale Borough Council (ABC) in consultation with M-Sport within the first six months of the operational use of the track facility commencing and then annually thereafter The NMP has been produced for M Sport and provides a framework for noise management which includes a methodology for sound control measures and a monitoring scheme to ensure compliance with the planning permission The main objective of the NMP is to ensure that the community noise levels resulting from operations of the MEC track do not result in statutory nuisance and/or do not give rise to unacceptable amenity noise impacts. It provides a comprehensive noise control and management plan to ensure that the site can operate successfully without undue disturbance to the local community 2.5. The nature of the controls required to manage noise impact within the community will be based on permitted noise levels for a specified number of days within a specified period of operation throughout a calendar year. The control method and principles included within this document shall form the basis of the operation of the facility This plan is based on motor vehicles travelling in a (single direction), counter-clockwise circuit.

4 3. RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY 3.1. The Managing Director holds overall responsibility for the operation and management of the MEC Prior to first use M Sport will produce a Test Controller manual setting out the roles, responsibilities, measurement, data, recording and reporting methods for the facility All persons involved with noise control and testing will be trained to the same standard as the Motor Sports Association (MSA) for licensed noise officials The Test Controller is responsible for all day to day operations of the MEC track The Test Controller may at times delegate operational control to a suitably trained person (as 3.3 above) appointed as Duty Test Steward The Duty Test Steward will have delegated powers to ensure effective control over the use of the track, in particular the hours of operation and the noise generated by the site, even if the Test Controller or Managing Director are not in attendance. The Duty Test Steward shall have powers vested in him/her that ensure that in matters relating to day to day noise management they cannot be overruled by any other representative of M Sport, their customers, or any track users The Test Controller will ensure that all operational staff are aware of the requirements of the NMP and they are implemented as required The Test Controller will be the first point of contact in relation to the use of or noise arising from the track. Full contact details for the Test Controller will be available at all times The Test Controller is responsible for the satisfactory resolution of any complaints in accordance with the Complaints Procedure and ensuring that any corrective actions are carried out.

5 4. NOISE MONITORING 4.1 As noted in section 3 this NMP has included provision for a Test Controller in the site management structure. This person will have authority to control all track activity. Such authority can be delegated to a duty test steward. One person will be named as the responsible person every day the track is in use. There may be more than one individual available for selection on a specific day and the duties may be shared with other track functions. All people available to undertake the position of duty track steward will be fully trained in their role and responsibilities 4.2 The Test Controller will have real time track noise data at all times that the track is in use, this data will provide the positive management of all activities and arising noise on the track which allows track activities to be controlled to comply with the hourly LAeq control levels, the trackside data will be measured and displayed in real time in the track control room 4.3 A full log will be retained for each use of the track, recording weather, wind direction & speed, noise levels, actual LAeq and LAmax level during each hour, as well as type/model of vehicle, driver details, start and finish times. Wind direction and speed will be measured on each day of use and the impact shall be considered and trackside measurements will be adjusted to ensure compliance with community levels where required. This adjustment will be formed upon an understanding through the operation of the facility on a day to day basis as the wind effects on noise travel is not an exact science. 4.4 At the end of each day of use the data will be uploaded onto a dedicated website or a dedicated area/page within the M Sport web site for access by any interested parties. Officers of ABCwill have direct access to all live data on site being recorded in the M Sport Evaluation Centre at any time. 4.5 All data recorded shall be stored for a minimum period of 24months 4.6 All vehicles using the MEC track will undergo a static noise test before being allowed to use the track. 4.7 All noise/weather monitoring equipment to be installed, commissioned and tested before use then annually calibrated thereafter with certification to be provided, retained and published

6 5.STRATEGY 5.1 The strategy will be based upon carrying out noise monitoring at all times during use via a trackside monitoring system detailed in Appendix A. 5.2 Background noise levels will be recorded at regular intervals to refresh data. 5.3 The important noise levels are those affecting the community, it is extremely difficult to measure the actual contribution of a noise source at a receiver as there will always be an existing background noise level at that point which must be factored into the overall LAeq at that point. In addition factors such as wind and weather can corrupt the measured noise levels. Monitoring to determine compliance with the permitted community noise levels shall be undertaken using an integrating-averaging sound level meter or equivalent instrument conforming to Type 1 standard. The sensitivity of the equipment shall be checked by using an appropriate acoustic calibrator before and after undertaking the measurements. All noise measurements will be carried out in accordance with BS Any measurements undertaken at any time when the wind speed at the measurement location is in excess of 5 meters/second or where the microphone is affected by heavy precipitation shall be disregarded. 5.4 Therefore the noise levels will be measured at source (10m from trackside) by way of static noise measurement equipment and by calculation the results will be used to determine that the community noise levels have been complied with. The calculations within the Assessment Of Community Noise (ACN) are based on theoretical noise reduction over distance from points on the proposed track to the selected receiver locations, those receiver locations having been identified and agreed with ABC As part of the NMP a specification for bunding has been designed and strategically placed around the test track to reduce noise levels at source and receiver. When the test track is constructed, validation testing will be carried out using real-time simultaneous noise measurements at both source and receiver, at which time any necessary adjustments can be made at the control point (trackside). Confirmation of 8 Receptor locations Description Grid Reference X Y Latitude Longitude Receptor 1 NY Receptor 2 NY Receptor 3 NY Receptor 4 NY Receptor 5 NY Receptor 6 NY Receptor 7 NY Receptor 8 NY It has been agreed that receptor 2 will be the control point. These locations will be verified and agreed with ABC at the stage of compliance monitoring before the use of the track commences.

7 5.5 A trackside monitoring location at: Grid Reference X Y Latitude Longitude NY m from trackside has been set as the position which produces the highest noise levels affecting the community this will again be verified upon completion and before formal use along with a physical measured check from the track to each of the 8 receptors in conjunction with ABC and any adjustments made An anemometer will be positioned adjacent to the trackside sound meter to record wind speed and direction. 5.6 The control levels are stated as community levels, the method of checking compliance is based on the agreed noise reduction between source and receptor. This makes it simpler to adjust the agreed reduction level if required as part of the (minimum) annual review of the NMP. This also allows for further mitigation measures to be introduced by the operator to allow for extra running without amending the fixed community conditions for each category of use. 5.7 The NMP will include the appointment of a Test controller who has access to real time track noise data which allows track activities to be controlled to comply with the hourly LAeq noise levels. 5.8 The data will be compared against the noise pyramid system; the data will include category days used to date. 5.9 Maximum noise levels dictate the duration of operation, through the control of the hourly LAeq. For example the maximum LAmax(1min) that could be allowed within an hour is 15dB above the LAeq, therefore for a 43dB day if the LAmax(1min) was 58dB there could be no more use in that hour. For every 3dB increase in noise the time available on the track halves, i.e. 46dB LAeq would mean that the 1 hour use would be reduced to 30mins Maximum trackside levels will be measured and recorded. The instantaneous LA (Fast) Max levels will be displayed on screen to inform the test controller to remove any vehicles which may exceed the agreed noise levels if allowed to continue running.

8 6. CATEGORIES OF USE/OPERATION CONTROLS 6.1 This document will ensure that there is total management control of noise being produced from the track which balances the timing of the activity, when it can happen and how long it can happen for. A pyramid system has been adopted in agreement with ABC details as follows: COMMUNITY LEVELS ALL dbl Aeq ( 1 hour) Guide of categories Cat A = 45 days 55dB = Silenced performance test vehicle Cat B = 75 days 50dB = Road legal silenced road car Cat C = Free 43dB = Super silenced performance test vehicle 6.2 The uses shall be limited as set out below: i. Category A activity shall not exceed forty five days in any calendar year. ii. Category B activity shall not exceed seventy five days in any calendar year. iii. Category C activity is unrestricted. 6.3 The Categories referred to are defined as follows: i. Category A A residential noise level of 55 db(a) hourly LAeq shall apply at any noise sensitive property. This category of use shall only occur between the days of Monday to Friday of no more than one day of use per week and no more than five consecutive hours use during the day. Category A use is only permitted between hours and hours. After each category A track use day there will be at least one day of no track use other than category C use. ii. iii. Category B A residential noise level of 50 db(a) hourly LAeq shall apply at any noise sensitive property. This category of use shall only occur between the days of Monday to Saturday of no more than two days use per week and no more than seven consecutive hours of use during the day. There shall only be one Saturday use per month. After each category B track use day there will be at least one day of no track use other than category C use Category C A residential noise level of 43 db(a) hourly LAeq shall apply at any noise sensitive property. Unrestricted use between the days of Monday and Saturday and within the hours of use limitations set out below 6.4 There shall be no category A, B or C usage permitted on Sundays or Bank Holidays. Saturdays shall be restricted to Category B and C days only.

9 6.5 No use of the track permitted by this consent shall occur: i) before hours or after hours from the commencement of British Summer Time in any one year; ii) before hours or after from the commencement of Greenwich Mean Time in any one year. 6.6 Not more than one vehicle shall be tested at any one time on the test track for category A usage. 6.7 There shall be no public address system intelligible at the boundary of the site 6.8 The initial trackside max LAeq (1hr) levels enabling compliance with each of the three categories are set as follows: Category A 88dB LAeq (1hr) Category B 83dB LAeq (1hr) Category C 76dB LAeq (1hr) This is based upon the worst case sound reduction (calculated at 33dB) detailed in the Assessment of Community Noise, this will be verified upon completion of the track and the NMP will be amended accordingly and submitted to and approved in writing by the LPA before operational use of the track commences.. This will then be reviewed as part of the (minimum) annual review of the Noise Management Plan with ABC. 6.9 The system is designed to provide positive noise management in that M Sport is responsible for monitoring and controlling the noise. If an event is scheduled as a Category B day (< LAeq 1 hr 50dB) and the highest hour exceeds 50dB then M Sport has used one of the 45 category A 55dB days. This is an important part of the system, to ensure the number of days for each category use is not exceeded annually.6.10 Prior to any vehicles use of the track a static noise test will be carried out at 0.5m from the exhaust. This test is carried out on vehicles when they are running at ¾ maximum rpm. There will be a set noise level for each category of use, with the full procedure included in the Noise Control Manual.

10 7. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE 7.1 Noise complaints can be made by calling the M-Sport Test Controller. 7.2 Each complaint will be logged and acknowledged upon receipt, during working hours. The test controller will speak to the complainant at the earliest possible opportunity during working hours to discuss the details of the actual complaint and agree a timescale for the investigation and for further responding to the complainant. The complaint will be investigated by accessing the noise data for the time in question. 7.3 A written complaint resolution will be sent by the M-Sport Test Controller within five days. 7.4 Complaints will be addressed using the following procedure below: MEANS OF COMPLAINT Manned hotline during Category A & B events Dedicated phone line address. M-Sport Test Controller to monitor calls and s. METHOD OF COMMUNICATION Historical data will be recorded on a dedicated webpage. Allerdale Borough Council (ABC) will be provided with copies of complaints log. ADD COMPLAINTS TO DATABASE NOISE COMPLAINT VIA ALLERDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL OR DIRECT TO M-SPORT Responders are designated from the M-Sport Senior Management Team DATA FROM M-SPORT NOISE MONITORING SYSTEM LOG COMPLAINT DATA TO BE KEPT FOR A MINIMUM OF 24 MONTHS A WRITTEN COMPLAINT RESOLUTION IS SENT WITHIN 5 WORKING DAYS USING AGREED TEMPLATE TYPE OF COMPLAINT Recorded phone message or . Live phone call with recording facility. M-SPORT INITIAL RESPONDER TO USE TEMPLATE TO TAKE DETAILS OF THE COMPLAINT & A COPY IS SENT TO ABC M-SPORT MUST RESPOND TO THE INITIAL COMPLAINT WITHIN 2 WORKING DAYS 7.5 Out of hours complaints will be recorded via a telephone answering machine or collected by and dealt with on the next working day as above.

11 8. BEFORE USE COMMENCES 8.1 Before the track use commences: - 1 Carry out simultaneous noise checks at both source and receptor, for each of the 8 receptors, to confirm the actual sound reduction. 2 Trackside noise levels will be used to assess compliance with the community noise levels. 3 All noise monitoring equipment shall be installed and calibrated in accordance with BS7580 or any standard that supersedes that in future at the agreed locations. 4 Details of both the website and the complaints procedure shall be accessible to ABC and the public. 5 Test Controller(s) employed, trained and in post 6 Test Controller manual will be produced and implemented. 7 The specification of the monitoring and recording system will be agreed with ABC and installed to allow ABC access to view noise monitoring data, subject to appropriate security protocols and parameters. 8 On completion of the validation testing prior to the use of the track, other parameters will be agreed in conjunction with the permitted LAeq noise levels for noise compliance e.g. LAmax noise levels.

12 9. CONCLUSIONS 9.1 The trackside monitoring will be carried out at all times when the track is in operation and the data made available to ABC. At the end of each day when the test track has been in use, all noise data will be uploaded onto a dedicated website/webpage which will identify the category use for that day. ABC shall also have unrestricted access to the noise monitoring data. Wind speed and direction monitoring shall also take place on site and the results recorded 9.2 The use of different noise categories provides the flexibility that guarantees that the annual quota of noise will not be exceeded. Data on the website/webpage will ensure that the MEC test track is operated in an open and transparent manner which will demonstrate the number of category use days used to date. 9.3 With regard to the operation of the test track, mitigation measures will be implemented to reduce the noise at source through the use of silencers on the vehicles using the track as well as earth bunds adjacent to the track to provide noise reduction at source. For periods when unexpected high noise levels occur, a pyramid system has been adopted in agreement with the ABC to control not only the number of days when certain noise conditions can occur, but also the times and the duration. Noise from the track will be positively managed by a nominated test controller to ensure compliance at all times with the community noise levels. 9.4 This document is to be reviewed (at least) annually between M Sport and ABC amendments may be agreed by the planning authority.

13 APPENDIX A SPECIFICATION FOR TRACKSIDE MONITORING SYSTEM

14 The main requirement for this system is to provide the track manger with sufficient real time noise information to allow them to manage the track noise to remain within the control levels. The other requirements are to store the data in order to be able to post process the raw data and to produce reports of the hourly LAeq levels, LAmax levels and wind speed and direction for submission to ABC and if required, to M Sport web site. Measurements will be carried out in accordance with BS7445. Equipment. Software and dedicated PC showing real time level v time data in track control room with editing and calculation facility allowing for display of graphs with markers and noise sources with descriptors Noise Monitoring Terminal Environmental cabinet with mains input, battery backup, modem analyser, and internal charger. Microphone, preamplifier, Windscreen, USB interface cable. Outdoor Microphone with built in heating and extended operating temperature range (-40 to + 85 C). Type 1 Real Time Sound Level Analyser with parallel A and C or Z networks capable of integrating-averaging sound levels confirming to type 1 standard. Internal memory with 32Mbytes and exchangeable 1GB SD card. USB 2 and serial interface. Statistical calculations for A and C or Z networks plus all frequency bands. 0.2dB class width for 7 fixed Ln values (n= 1,5,10,50,90,95,99) plus 1 user defined. Basic time profile option Level versus time mode with graphical display and storage of LAmaxF, LAeq and 1,2,3.seconds. 1/1 and 1/3 octave band data may also be provided. Advanced level recorder option with markers for noting events during measurements. Storage of user selectable parameters in programmable period lengths from 25s onwards. Hand held Class 2 Sound level meter for static testing 10m from exhaust in accordance with industry standards. This will be used to forecast likely use classification of new vehicles before they are used on the track for the first time. These will then be logged and recorded to demonstrate compliance with the pyramid system contained within this document. Class 1 Acoustic Calibrator. Anemometer will be in a permanent position adjacent to the trackside sound meter and provide details of wind speed and direction, data will be logged for the duration of the track operation

15 APPENDIX B GLOSSARY OF TERMS

16 GLOSSARY OF TERMS db db(a) Sound levels from any source can be measured in frequency bands in order to provide detailed information about the spectral content of the noise, i.e. whether it is high-pitched, low-pitched, or with no distinct tonal character. These measurements are usually undertaken in octave or third octave frequency bands. If these values are summed logarithmically, a single db figure is obtained. This is usually not very helpful as it simply describes the total amount of acoustic energy measured and does not take any account of the ear s ability to hear certain frequencies more readily than others. Instead, the dba figure is used, as this is found to relate better to the loudness of the sound heard. The dba figure is obtained by subtracting an appropriate correction, which represents the variation in the ear s ability to hear different frequencies, from the individual octave or third octave band values, before summing them logarithmically. As a result the single dba value provides a good representation of how loud a sound is. L Aeq Since almost all sounds vary or fluctuate with time it is helpful, instead of having an instantaneous value to describe the noise event, to have an average of the total acoustic energy experienced over its duration. The L Aeq, 07:00 23:00 for example, describes the equivalent continuous noise level over the 12 hour period between 7 am and 11 pm. During this time period the L pa at any particular time is likely to have been either greater or lower that the L Aeq, 07:00 23:00. L Amax The L Amax is the loudest instantaneous noise level. This is usually the loudest 125 milliseconds measured during any given period of time L AEQS L n R w The L AEQS is the sample value taken Another method of describing, with a single value, a noise level which varies over a given time period is, instead of considering the average amount of acoustic energy, to consider the length of time for which a particular noise level is exceeded. If a level of x dba is exceeded for say 6 minutes within one hour, then that level can be described as being exceeded for 10% of the total measurement period. This is denoted as the LA10, 1 hr = x db. The L A10 index is often used in the description of road traffic noise, whilst the L A90, the noise level exceeded for 90% of the measurement period, is the usual descriptor for underlying background noise. L A1 and L Amax are common descriptors of construction noise. The weighted sound reduction index determined using the above measurement procedure, but weighted in accordance with the procedures set down in BS EN ISO Partitioning and building board manufacturers commonly use this index to describe the inherent sound insulation performance of their products.

17 APPENDIX C MAP OF RECEPTOR LOCATIONS

18 MAP OF RECEPTOR LOCATIONS Receptor 1 NY Receptor 2 NY Receptor 3 NY Receptor 4 NY Receptor 5 NY Receptor 6 NY Receptor 7 NY Receptor 8 NY Trackside Monitoring NY