Environmental Issues

Noise Action Plan

Noise Control

Councils prepare Noise Action Plans to address environmental noise in their areas. Citizens can have input into these plans through consultation.  

The Environmental Noise Directive requires that a noise action plan is prepared based on the strategic noise maps for areas within the agglomeration of Dublin to address the issues of road, rail and industrial noise. The agglomeration of Dublin combining six Action Planning Authorities (APAs), made up of the four Dublin local Authorities as well as Kildare County Council and Wicklow County Council, have jointly prepared the Dublin Agglomeration Noise Action Plan 2024-2028.

 

The Plan sets out a description of the agglomeration, the legal context and long-term strategy, a summary of the results of the noise mapping as well as an evaluation of the estimated number of people exposed to environmental noise. Priority Important Areas (PIAs) have been identified in Fingal with high concentrations of dwellings exposes to elevated noise levels (53dB Lden and 45dB Lnight for roads) in the Noise Action Plan.  These priority areas will be further studied including further modelling, investigation, noise monitoring and identification and assessment of mitigation measures.

 

The results of the strategic noise maps have also been used to identify Candidate Quiet Areas (CQAs) areas within the Agglomeration to be considered for the preservation of areas where environmental noise levels are deemed to be good.  

 

The plans do not, however, cover noise in relation to health and safety in the workplace, noise inside any means of transport, noise caused by military activities in military areas or noise from natural environmental sources, i.e. wind, waves, wildlife.

 

One of the actions for Fingal is to prioritise the use of lower road noise surfaces (stone mastic asphalt) over hot rolled asphalt in urban road surfaces. Stone mastic asphalt has the potential to reduce noise impacts between 3 -5 decibels (dB) over hot rolled asphalt.

 

The Round 4 strategic noise maps were prepared and published in March 2023. A draft Noise Action Plan was prepared and put out to stakeholder and public consultation in April and May 2024. The Noise Action Plan was screened for both Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA). The screenings concluded that both the SEA and a Stage 2 AA were not required. Determinations for both have been prepared.

 

The Dublin Agglomeration Noise Action Plan 2024 –2028 was completed by the 18th of July 2024, in accordance with the European Communities (Environmental Noise) Regulations 2018 (as amended).

 

The Plan has two sections:

  • Part 1 (Sections 1-9) is made up of nine sections addressing the context, legal background and methodology related to the Plan and
  • Part 2 (Sections 10-15) contains separate sections for each of the APAs addressing the requirements for Priority Important Areas (PIAs), candidate Quiet Areas (CQAs) and related actions.

Section 12 is the revelant section for Fingal County Council.

 

See links to documentation:

 

EU Directive 2002/49/EC, which was transposed into Irish law through the European Communities (Environmental Noise) Regulations 2018 to 2021, requires the local authorities within the Dublin agglomeration (Dublin City Council, Fingal, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, South Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare County Councils) to produce Strategic Noise Maps and Noise Action Plans every five years. These maps shall apply to environmental noise created by road traffic, rail traffic, air traffic and from sites of industrial activity.  Fingal County Council intend to prepare a separate Noise Action Plan for Dublin Airport.

 

The main maps of interest are all roads for Lden and Lnight.  Lden is  a 24 hr measure of noise with a 5 and 10 dB weighting for evening and night noise respectively.

 

To view the current Strategic Noise Map for Fingal please click here to open the map viewer.

Please note that this is a very large dataset and may take a few moments to load.

 

Further information on the Environmental noise planning is available here Noise mapping and action plans | Environmental Protection Agency (epa.ie)

The complete ‘Dublin Environmental Noise Action Plan December 2018 – July 2023 can be viewed below:

 

A summary of the Noise Action Plan can be found here.

For further information visit https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/environment/air-quality-monitoring-and-noise-control-unit/dublin-city-noise-maps/dublin-city-dublin-agglomeration-strategic-noise-maps

Please see Noise Action Plan for Dublin Airport 2019 - 2023 below:

Noise Action Plan for Dublin Airport 2019-2023

Dublin Airport Noise Action Plan SEA Consideration

NAP for Dublin Airport Information for Screening for Appropriate Assessment

 

The Aircraft Noise Competent Authority monitors, and regulates where necessary, for the management of aircraft noise in the communities around Dublin Airport. To find out more about their work visit https://www.fingal.ie/aircraftnoiseca

Dublin Agglomeration Noise Action Plan 2024 - 2028