Noise and soundscape in Welsh planning policy

In Wales, noise policy now sits within the sustainable development framework of our Well-being of Future Generations Act. Under this Act, public bodies must look to the long term; take an integrated approach; involve a diversity of the population in decisions affecting them; work with others in a collaborative way to find shared sustainable solutions; and act to prevent problems from occurring or getting worse. The Welsh Government has adopted a Noise and Soundscape Action Plan calling for the creation of appropriate soundscapes, meaning "the right acoustic environment in the right time and place". We have rewritten Planning Policy Wales and included appropriate soundscapes amongst our National Sustainable Placemaking Outcomes. We committed to providing further guidance to support planning policy on air quality, noise and soundscape, and drafted a new Technical Advice Note, with a supporting document on soundscape design. Soundscape design in Wales means more than just design of the sound environment. It is a process giving as much weight to people and context as to the sounds themselves, from the outset. This approach is expected to be followed, referring to soundscape standards where appropriate, when and to the extent it may be expected to result in better placemaking.