As one of the largest and most successful development teams in the UK, The Banks Group needs to be at the cutting edge of technology when planning and developing its sites. The need for environmentally conscious development is of course a prime concern for today’s developers and it is with this in mind that The Banks Group uses Cirrus Research noise measurement instruments to help ensure that they adhere to their strict environmental policy, as well as necessary legislation.
The Banks Group develops land for a variety of uses including onshore wind farms, residential and commercial property schemes and developing and operating surface coal mines. With this type of development the company obviously recognises the potential impact that its activities can have on both the environment and local communities and takes responsibility for maximising environmental benefits and minimising any adverse impacts arising from these activities. For every individual project, environmental management plans are produced that set out how environmental aspects, such as noise, are to be managed. To help with this task, The Banks Group purchased a variety of noise measurement instruments from Cirrus Research.
Cirrus Research has been at the forefront of the noise monitoring sector for 40 years with its reliable equipment and first-class performance and has a huge array of equipment to facilitate the collection of noise measurements in the natural environment.
A long-standing partnership
After rigorous research on noise meters available on the market, The Banks Group opted to use Cirrus Research equipment in 1992 and since then has never looked back. Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at The Banks Group comments:
We use the sound monitoring equipment for a variety of purposes including: our baseline environmental assessment work, for compliance noise monitoring to ensure that our developments comply with planning condition noise limits and for noise control engineering to assess the effectiveness of noise insulation measures attached to our large mining plant.
Mark continues:
What attracted us to Cirrus Research in the first instance was the fact that the company is UK based with a long understanding of producing noise measuring equipment. The products are easy to use and very reasonably priced compared to the quality you get in return. Quite frankly, the sound level meters (SLMs) do exactly what they need to do and allow us to complete work precisely and comprehensively. The short term Leq noise profiles are also a specific feature that we value as they enable us to eliminate extraneous noise and analyse noise measurements over specific periods. With approximately 20 planning applications being submitted by the company each year it is essential for us to ensure that we demonstrate compliance with the agreed noise levels. The financial implications of not being granted planning permission are huge and therefore the reliance on the Cirrus Research products to provide us with this data is paramount.
Quality products and calibration services
He adds:
In order to make sure our equipment is always providing precise readings we use the Cirrus Research calibration service every year. Cirrus Research provides calibration and repair services for the entire Cirrus noise measurement product range with fully trained engineers with many years experience in the industry making sure the products are as good as new. As a developer we pride ourselves on our environmental policy and through the implementation of this we remain firmly committed to our longstanding policy of development with care. The Cirrus Research noise measuring equipment allow us to fulfill our responsibility to protect the environment surrounding our developments.
Cirrus Research is a leading expert in the creation and production of noise measurement instruments in the UK. Formed in 1970, Cirrus uses the latest scientific and technological developments to produce noise measurement equipment to accurately measure noise and its impact. Cirrus products are manufactured in the UK and can be used in a wide range of applications and across a variety of industries. Cirrus newest range of noise monitoring equipment is the Optimus Series. The Optimus range of sound level meters uses state-of-the-art technology and has been designed to meet the very latest standards for noise measurement instruments. They provide the highest level of performance possible whilst being simple to set up and operate. The newest member of the Optimus Series, the Optimus Green, has been created to combine the existing features from the Optimus range with the latest technological innovation and added functionality that is necessary for environmental noise to be accurately measured.
