Members of Planning Committees and quite a few planning officers turn their noises up where dealing with a source of very high noise levels (such as a motorway) involves an assumption non closing windows and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery in assessing acceptable noise standards.
To me mind this this is based on out of date mid 20C construction practices and the prejudices they breed.
The concern is out of date because:
- One of the concerns is that residents might open windows and complain about the noide source. The new Agent of Change principal renders this moot and in any event inspectors are dismissive where residents can do nothing about a source of noise such as an airport or road
- The concern is in summer residents will want to open windows. With superinsultation and passivhaus becoming more and more common this no longer is a rational approach.
- In poor air quality areas it is best to keep the windows closed.
With many sites in urban areas theywill only be viable and able to include affordable housing if an articial set back from noise sources is avoided, so down with the anti- closed window assumption bias.
