Air Source Heat Pump Planning

[Boris1585]

Hi,

We’ve just received a planning notification that our neighbour is putting in an ASHP. The ASHP will sit in their back garden ~ 3-4m from our house in line with our main bedroom window which is on the 1st floor. (Garden fence and houses don’t quite line up so is nearer our house than theirs). The heat pump is a Cartmel, which specs say 56dB. The heat pump is <1m from fence so requires planning.

Their submitted noise assessment notes a fence between house and pump, so 10dB reduction, but the fence wouldn’t block the view/noise to our 1st floor bedroom window, only our ground floor windows. From a quick look, if the fence was removed from the calculation, it wouldn’t be compliant?

Is it best to put an objection to the planning? Or contact the neighbour advising calculation wrong?

OR is it likely fine, and no point making a fuss?

Thankyou

 

[^woody^]

Only valid objections will be considered. Noise is valid, what it looks like from a bedroom window is not.

Phrase your objection so as not to appear to be just moaning. Mention ground and air bourne noise.

 

[martygturner]

Unfortunately planning is objection based and largely aimed at stopping development, so the trick is to frame any objection as a mitigation. In the case of ASHP they are being encouraged so objections need to be pretty huge to stop the install.

Why not just go round and see them, raise your concerns... tell them you want some mitigation, acoustic enclosures for garden spaces add about £600 to an install , the fan position, ie does it face into reflective wall or is it pointed at clear space. Even simple planting of a evergreen hedge reduces the noise level.

So basically ask them what they are doing to mitigate , if you get a blank look you can now ask the council to ensure that mitigation is put in place as a condition of planning, you will give the planners a solution to keeping everybody happy... which they strangely like.

 

[Boris1585]

That’s great thank you, I’ll pop round and have a chat. We’re not worried about the view, just the noise! Potentially we’ll see if it can be repositioned, or put in some noise mitigation. Its current spot will need underground ducting to their house, so clearly been positioned to be as far away from their windows! Doing some quick maths, it looks like it'll be >50dB at our window.

 

[mrrusty]

I would introduce some potential noise mitigation into your conversation, like perhaps 6m tall screening bamboo (in reality I wouldn't plant bamboo but you can still threaten) along the boundary...or some other tall non-evergreen plant that doesn't fall under the high hedge legislation.....

 

[Boris1585]

Ironically we cut down the massive Leylandii which the previous owners had planted against the house earlier this year!

 

[robinbanks]

Maybe go and listen to one before you bother. Mine's outside the bedroom window and I don't notice.

It makes the most noise when making DHW, which is generally a day time thing for us, temperature of the world being higher and all. At night we have it in a mode where the compressor makes slightly less noise allegedly.. I can't say I've noticed a significant difference