Role of community engagement in soundscape design of rural areas

Abstract

This paper presents results of questionnaires adapted from ISO 12913-2 distributed among the residents of a rural area, following numerous complaints of noise and other pollution from a recently build waste transfer station in the UK. Based on acoustic measurements, specific sound levels from the industrial site were predicted at each of the respondents' assessment location. Participants included those who lived as close to the site as 200m where the sound from the site was +15dB above background sound level (BGL), and as far as 800m with the sound from site -10dB above BGL. Surprisingly, all the respondents indicated that they could hear sounds from the industrial site to a higher or lower extent, they were all extremely stressed and annoyed by it and they all desired it to be supressed. The outcomes of the study demonstrate that (1) soundscape is a multidisciplinary approach, (2) soundscape assessment in rural areas may vary from those designed for urban areas, and (3) early engagement with local residents when introducing a new industrial sound to the soundscape in a rural area may result in a better chance of approval, particularly for a site with potential economic benefits for the community. This paper also discusses how the soundscape approach, alongside tackling conventional noise problems, may contribute to environmental management and local planning in rural areas, particularly focusing on introducing and managing sounds from industrial sites.