Defra Environmental Noise Modelling Design and Build Framework

The output requirement of the framework is to appoint a supplier that Defra will work with to develop a new noise monitoring methodology for England that may be adopted by Devolved Administrations and other Authorities. The subsequent implementation of this methodology should enable the UK to meet its legal obligation to complete the next round of noise mapping by 2022 and populate the 25 Year Environment Plan Indicator. Without the award of this framework and subsequent Contract award Defra will not meet its regulatory obligations as set out in UK Law and EU, this poses a risk of regulatory divergence from EU law. The output of the resulting contracts is for an environmental noise model enabling scenario and retrospective modelling covering road and rail transport sources at a strategic national level in England. This includes the ability to post-process the generated noise levels spatially in a manner which will be able to incorporate industrial and airport noise level data generated external to this model (to be made available in a common format, e.g. ascii or shapefile). The solution will enable subsequent analysis of noise data from all four noise sources and in particular with population data, in line with existing legal obligations.