Control of Sound Insulation in 'Change of Use' Situations Affecting Houses or Flats

In recent years the demand for small housing units has increased, and this is being met in part by the conversion and subdivision of older properties into a number of self-contained flats.On conversion, it is common for walls and floors, which once separated rooms in houses initially built for single occupancy, to become separating structures between the newly formed dwellings.Often, these structures tail short 01 the sound insulation provisions of the current Building Regulations resulting in an increase in the likelihood ot annoyance due to noise between households.The problem is further compounded by the fact that the sound insulation provisions of the Regulations do not apply to conversions, and trequently there is incompatibility of room layout e.g.noise smsitive rooms, such as the bedroom of one dwelling sharing a wall or floor with a noise producing room of an adjacent dwelling, e.g.livingroom or kitchen.in Bolton, planning applications have been submitted to convert "two-up-twodown" midterraced property into two self contained flats, usually with normal dwelling houses either side.Ensuring room compatibility both vertically within the flat and horizontally with the house next door is virtually impossible.The Environmental Health profession is concerned with the protection oi the environment of residents where conversions take place, and a degree of control may be exercised by the District Planning Authority when determining planning applications for conversions.Satisfactory room arrangement can be taken into account, and in some cases a sound insulation improvement scheme may be necessary.As for the mid-terrace conversion, 3 recommendation for the refusal of planning permission is the only solution.