The Latest News & Articles

Landmark decision allowing hydraulic stimulation (fracking) to take place in North Yorkshire. Spectrum provided noise expertise for this onshore gas development project

19 August 2016

Third Energy have been successful in their application to hydraulically fracture (frack) an existing operating gas well at a long established site near Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. This is the first successful application made, since the moratorium on fracking was lifted by the UK government in 2012 […..]

Proposed new Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) moves into Community Consultation phase

12 August 2016

Spectrum are acting as noise and vibration specialists on the proposed Rail Central SRFI which will occupy a large site to the west of Northampton near the villages of Milton Malsor and Blisworth. The application which is being considered under the arrangements for nationally significant infrastructure projects, is now moving into the consultation phase […..]

Contracts for a trio of Renewable Energy Biomass Plants in the UK

02 August 2016

A contract for the detailed noise design of buildings and balance of plant equipment has been awarded to Spectrum for a trio of three renewable power plants (10MW) at Hull, Boston and Barry, in the UK by Galliford Try and their designers GHD Livigunn […..]

Government introduces amendments to the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Act requiring noise to be considered

07 June 2016

On 6 April 2016, the government introduced some amendments to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Act.

Measurement of Equipment Sound Power in a Factory Environment using Sound Intensity methods

11 May 2016

There is often a broad range in the quality of product acoustic data that is provided by mechanical services equipment suppliers. Some can be hard to interpret, giving only part of the information required to define noise output, which can lead to imprecision or error. On the other hand, some companies undertake detailed and exact measurements under controlled conditions for a variety of running conditions and of different components of the equipment. For example, the sound output of industrial fans vary with fan speed. Also there is a different proportion of the sound energy that comes from the inlet, discharge and casing […..]

Noise Consultancy for Burger King Drive-Thru Restaurants

18 April 2016

Building on our experience of conducting Planning Noise Impact Assessments in the hospitality industry, Spectrum have recently provided consultancy services for several proposed new Burger King drive-thru restaurants […..]

Demand for Sound Intensity Measurement services continues to grow

18 February 2016

Demand for Sound Intensity measurement services provided by Spectrum continues to grow as ISO 9614 measurement standards are increasingly specified as the preferred method for sound power level measurement. However, the benefits of sound intensity measurement extend well beyond equipment noise testing [….]

How to implement Noise Control BAT (Best Available Techniques) when obtaining an Environmental Permit

01 November 2015

Many industrial plants and processes require an Environmental Permit in order to operate, and noise is one of the potential polluters that has to be assessed by the Regulating Authority. This article seeks to steer noise consultants and noise stakeholders through the guidance available for what is meant by Best Available Techniques (BAT) for Noise Control and how it should in practice be implemented […..]