Annexure 1: Construction and Operational Noise Nigel Lloyd
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Annexure 1: Construction and Operational Noise Nigel Lloyd WELLINGTON AIRPORT RUNWAY EXTENSION Peer Review of Noise Reports Introduction 1 My full name is Nigel Robert Lloyd, and I am an acoustical consultant. 2 I have been engaged by the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) and Wellington City Council (WCC) to peer review the various technical reports submitted with the application for the extension of the runway at Wellington International Airport (The Airport), and to consider the issues they raise from the perspective of noise (and vibration). Qualifications and Experience 3 I am an acoustical consultant with Acousafe Consulting & Engineering Limited, a position I have held since 1985. I have a degree in mechanical engineering gained at the University of Wales, University College Cardiff in 1976. 4 Prior to my current position, I was employed by the Industrial Acoustics Company in the UK as an acoustical consultant between 1977 and 1980 and then spent five years as the Department of Labour noise control engineer in New Zealand, advising the safety inspectorates on occupational noise management and control. I have a total of 39 years’ experience as a noise control engineer/acoustical consultant. 5 I advised the local residents association (RANAG) on the Wellington International Airport District Plan appeal in 1997 and have advised Manukau City Council on Auckland Airport for the Operative Plan, and Palmerston North City Council and Rotorua District Council on their airport plan provisions respectively. 6 In 2011, I advised the Ministry of Education during the appeals on the Queenstown District Plan Change for the Queenstown Airport. 7 In 2004, I advised Corrigan Commercial Ltd on an appeal by Wellington International Airport Ltd against the establishment of an apartment building in the Miramar Suburban Centre (ENV 2602314_3 1 W105/04). Over the years, I have been involved in advising on individual new dwelling/extension applications regarding aircraft noise insulation requirements. 8 I advised WCC on the original resource consent application for Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant and advised during the design and construction of the plant. I am still involved in undertaking regular compliance noise monitoring for the plant including night-time (2am) monitoring at Kekerenga Street. 9 I advised Auckland Council on Topic 45 of the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan during the hearing process, including proposed plan provisions for Ardmore Airport, Auckland International Airport, Whenuapai Airbase, North Shore Airfield, Kaipara Flats Airfield (near Warkworth), and Parakai Airfield (near Helensville). 10 I am a Member of the Acoustical Society of New Zealand. Involvement with the Proposal 11 In February 2016 Acousafe Consulting and Engineering Ltd was engaged by GWRC and WCC to undertake a preliminary review and provide pre-application comments regarding noise effects associated with the Wellington International Airport (The Airport) proposed runway extension. 12 Following receipt of the application and assessment of environmental effects I recommended that further information be sought from the applicant regarding inconsistencies in Technical Report 10 about ambient noise levels. This information was sought from the applicant in the GWRC letter dated 20 May 2016. Information was also sought about compliance with the Proposed Natural Resources Plan (PNRP) as well as the Operative Regional Coastal Plan (RCP). The applicant was asked about the weightings that had been given to the options of delivery of fill by sea compared by road. This was with a view to assessing the consequent reduction of truck noise that delivery by sea would provide. 13 Subsequent to receiving the Mitchell Partnership reply dated 13 June 2016, I sought further clarification in my email of 15 June 2016 (GWRC email of 16th June to the applicant) regarding inconsistencies I perceived between the information being provided and the original Table 6 of AECOM’s Technical Report 10. In their memorandum dated 27 June 2016, AECOM explained 2602314_3 2 the inconsistencies between the new data and the original data in Table 6 (where AECOM had made some new assumptions about construction noise since those in Technical Report 10) and also provided a separate table setting out average background sound level measurements. When I asked Mr Humpheson of AECOM about the background sound level table he indicated that the LA90(0100-0600) for Wednesday 11-03-2015 was incorrect. 14 I have read the draft report of Dr Michael Steven advising Councils on the impacts on recreation usage and I rely on that report to the degree I set out below. 15 I visited the area surrounding the site with GWRC officers and other experts, on the morning of Thursday 30 June 2016. This included the Moa Point residential area and shoreline, the Lyall Bay shoreline, Melrose, Miramar and Strathmore Park, including Kekerenga Street, Ahuriri Street and the walking track above the wastewater treatment plant. 16 The Application Noise Documentation 17 I have reviewed the following reports: a) The Assessment of Environmental Effects (The AEE) which includes an assessment of construction and haulage route effects in Section 7.7 and an assessment of operational noise (post construction under 7.17). b) The assessment of effects on recreation in Technical Report 6. Wellington International Airport Proposed Extension – Assessment of Effects on Recreation by TRC (The TRC Report) dated 25 April 2016. c) The construction noise assessment in Technical Report 10 of the application prepared by AECOM (The AECOM Report). d) The aircraft noise assessment in Technical Report 26 prepared by Marshall Day Acoustics (The MDA Report). e) The Mitchell Partnerships reply dated 13 June 2016 to Council’s Further Information Request dated 10 May 2016. 2602314_3 3 f) The Mitchell Partnerships reply dated 1 July 2016 which contained: (a) Attachment 1 - The AECOM Memorandum dated 27 June 2016 which is in response to Council’s Further Information Request dated 16 June 2016 relating to predicted noise levels and baseline noise data. (b) Attachment 3 - The AECOM Memorandum dated 1 July 2016 which is in response to Council’s Further Information Request dated 20 May 2016 considering the noise implications of utilising marine based fill materials (barges). g) The Mitchell Partnerships Memorandum dated 15 July with further clarification of Technical Report 10 (Location of Receivers and Location of Measurements). 18 I identify the areas of exclusion from my direct expertise below: a) My peer review considers the methodology and approach used by Marshall Day Acoustics in the Operational Aircraft Assessment (Technical Report 26) but I am not an expert in the actual aircraft numbers forecasts. These forecasts have been undertaken by InterVISTAS and I have relied on them. b) My review does not cover underwater impacts of construction noise (or vibration) on marine life. c) I note also that the AEE does not consider the impact of vibration effects to be significant. I have not undertaken a separate peer review of the vibration effects but I have recommended a condition for vibration in the event that it does become an issue. Having said that, I am not an expert in environmental vibration. 19 There are two aspects of noise resulting from the proposed runway extension. The first relates to the noise of construction and the second from the changes to the aircraft noise once construction is complete, these are discussed in turn below. 2602314_3 4 The Regional and District Plan Noise Provisions - Construction 20 Both the RCP and the Wellington City District Plan (District Plan) require construction noise to comply with NZS 6803P:1984 The Measurement and Assessment of Noise from Construction, Maintenance and Demolition Work (NZS 6803P) which was a Provisional Standard. This Standard was superseded and replaced by a full New Zealand Standard NZS 6803:1999 Acoustics – Construction Noise (NZS 6803). 21 The general conditions in section 5.7.2 of the PNRP references NZS 6802:2008 Acoustics – Environmental Noise as the standard for measuring and assessing noise, and that any construction activities shall meet the limits specified in Table 1 of NZS 6803:1999 Acoustics – Construction Noise. All activities within the CMA are required to meet these noise conditions or adopt the best practicable option to ensure the emission of noise does not exceed a reasonable level (refer to Policy 150 of the PNRP). 22 I would note that Table 1 of NZS 6803:1999 referred to in section 5.7.2 of the PNRP is not a table of noise limits but is a list of symbols and terms used in the Standard. The relevant table is actually Table 2 which I include as follows: 2602314_3 5 Table 2 – Recommended upper limits for construction noise received in residential zones and dwellings in rural areas Time Time period Duration of work of week Typical duration Short- Long- term term (dBA) duration duration (dBA) (dBA) Leq Lmax Leq Lmax Leq Lmax Weekdays 0630-0730 60 75 65 75 55 75 0730-1800 75 90 80 95 70 85 1800-2000 70 85 75 90 65 80 2000-0630 45 75 45 75 45 75 Saturdays 0630-0730 45 75 45 75 45 75 0730-1800 75 90 80 95 70 85 1800-2000 45 75 45 75 45 75 2000-0630 45 75 45 75 45 75 Sundays 0630-0730 45 75 45 75 45 75 and public 0730-1800 55 85 55 85 55 85 holidays 1800-2000 45 75 45 75 45 75 2000-0630 45 75 45 75 45 75 Table 3 – Recommended upper limits for construction noise received in industrial or commercial areas for all days of the year Time Period Duration of work Typical duration Short-term duration Long-term duration Leq (dBA) Leq (dBA) Leq (dBA) 0730-1800 75 80 70 1800-0730 80 85 75 2602314_3 6 23 The runway construction will mostly occur in the CMA, to which the RCP and the PNRP applies.