The Environmental Noise Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

Identification of noise sources

3.—(1) No later than 31^st December 2006 the Department shall prepare maps identifying all—

(a) first round agglomerations;

(b) first round major roads;

(c) first round major railways; and

(d) major airports.

(2) No later than 31^st December 2011 the Department shall prepare maps identifying all—

(a) agglomerations;

(b) major roads;

(c) major railways; and

(d) major airports.

(3) In any relevant year the Department shall prepare maps identifying all—

(a) agglomerations;

(b) major roads;

(c) major railways; or

(d) major airports;

as necessary if it considers that the most recent maps produced pursuant to paragraph 2 are no longer appropriate.

(4) In paragraph (3) “relevant year” means 2016 and every fifth year thereafter.

(5) When discharging its duty under paragraph (1)(a) to identify first round agglomerations the Department shall identify areas—

(a) having a population in excess of 250,000 persons and a population density equal to or greater than 500 people per km²; and

(b) which it considers to be urbanised.

(6) When discharging its duty under paragraph (2)(a) or (3)(a) to identify agglomerations the Department shall identify areas—

(a) having a population in excess of 100,000 persons and a population density equal to or greater than 500 people per km²; and

(b) which it considers to be urbanised.

(7) When discharging its duty under paragraph (1)(b) to identify first round major roads the Department shall identify roads which—

(a) are—

(i) trunk roads;

(ii) motorways; or

(iii) classified roads; and

(b) have more than six million vehicle passages a year.

(8) When discharging its duty under paragraph (2)(b) or (3)(b) to identify major roads the Department shall identify roads which—

(a) are—

(i) trunk roads;

(ii) motorways; or

(iii) classified roads; and

(b) have more than three million vehicle passages a year.

(9) When discharging its duty under paragraph (1)(c) to identify first round major railways the Department shall identify railways which have more than 60,000 train passages per year.

(10) When discharging its duty under paragraph (2)(c) or (3)(c) to identify major railways the Department shall identify railways which have more than 30,000 train passages per year.

(11) When discharging its duty under paragraph (1)(d), (2)(d) or (3)(d) to identify major airports the Department shall identify civil airports which have more than 50,000 movements per year (a movement being a take-off or a landing), excluding those purely for training purposes on light aircraft.

(12) Certified copies of maps prepared pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2) and (3)—

(a) shall be available for inspection at such times and in such places as the Department may determine, and information on when and where such copies may be inspected shall be published by the Department in such a manner as they may determine;

(b) may be displayed on a website and in such other manner as the Department considers appropriate; and

(c) shall be provided by the Department, on request, for a reasonable charge.