Din 'too high’ for housing

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33932, 27 August 1975, Page 16

Din 'too high’ for housing

Jet noise was unacceptably high in an area near the airport approved for housebuilding by the Paparua County Council, Professor D. C. Stevenson told the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority yesterday. To prove his point. Professor Stevenson, of the mechanical engineering department of the University of Canterbury, played recordings of a jet aircraft taking off At 110 decibels—the noise level in the area approved for housing by the council — members of -the authority, could not hear Professor; Stevenson even though he s shouted as loudly as he 1 could. “It is not reasonable to ask people to endure that.” he said later. The recordings had been made about a mile from the main runway as a Boeing 737 took off. The 90 decibel level was reasonable for planning purposes, and this had been re-

i i commended in a report last J year to the Health Departement. The 100 decibel zone was Jail right for golf clubs, fac--1 (tones, and similar activities. !l “Anything over this is too high.” Professor Stevenson said ■There was no answer to the problem of sleeping in such i > noise. He thought that a curpfew was proposed for WeilKington Airport. It was hoped to produce guiding standards. A letter from the Wai-

.'mairi County Council asked .the authority to take up with i the Government the question ■I of airport protection against ■'building encroachment. The was also asked to . convene a joint meeting with I •the Christchurch City Counjcil and the Paparua and Wai--4 mairi county councils to disIcuss the question. The authority agreed to f both requests.