Frequently asked questions

AcoustaPLOT uses the same national datasets — Defra Strategic Noise Maps, Ordnance Survey terrain data and DfT traffic counts — that inform government planning policy and professional acoustic reports. Our Barrier Design reports use the ISO 9613-2 standard, the recognised method for barrier design across Europe. Results are explained in plain English with an honest uncertainty range. They are not a substitute for a site-measured survey where one is legally or professionally required — but for most everyday property decisions they give you a well-evidenced starting point, with the uncertainty stated so you can judge how much weight to put on it.

AcoustaPLOT covers all properties in England. Road noise is calculated by AcoustaPLOT from DfT traffic data using our own CRTN-based methodology. For railways, we read Defra's strategic noise map where it covers the property and use our own calculation elsewhere.

Screening reports are generated and delivered instantly after payment — typically within 10–15 seconds. Barrier Design reports take slightly longer as they involve detailed terrain and property geometry calculations — typically 1–3 minutes.

Payments are processed by Stripe, which is used by millions of businesses worldwide. AcoustaPLOT does not store your card details.

The Screening, Insight, Barrier Design and Complete reports are desktop assessments based on modelled data and are not intended as replacements for a professionally conducted, site-measured acoustic survey for planning purposes. If you need a report for a planning application, our Measured Acoustic Survey survey service is the appropriate option.

No — AcoustaPLOT models road and rail traffic noise from national datasets; it is not a tool for a specific neighbour, business or one-off noise dispute, and it cannot investigate or resolve one. That kind of noise is usually a matter for your local council’s environmental health team under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Noise Act 1996, who can serve a legally enforceable abatement notice where a statutory nuisance is found. Our guide on complaining about noise sets out the traffic-specific route; for anything else, your council is the right first call.

Genuine AcoustaPLOT emails always come from an address ending @acoustaplot.com and link only to noise.acoustaplot.com pages — we never ask you to reply with a password, card details, or your login. If you’re unsure about an email or message claiming to be from us, don’t click anything in it; contact us directly at noise@acoustaplot.com instead and we’ll confirm whether it’s genuine.

No — AcoustaPLOT assesses external road and rail traffic noise reaching a residential property, to an environmental noise standard. It is not an occupational noise assessment and does not address compliance with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 or any other workplace exposure duty. For staff or workplace noise, you need a qualified occupational hygienist or health and safety adviser.

Defra's strategic noise maps and DfT traffic counts are updated periodically, so a very recently-built property may sit just outside the latest dataset boundary. If this happens, AcoustaPLOT falls back to CRTN 1988 distance-based modelling using the nearest classified road — still a real calculation, just a different (and slightly less precise) method. If your address genuinely can't be assessed at all, contact noise@acoustaplot.com before purchasing.

Every report states which dataset and method produced the result, so start there — a MODERATE result for a house that "feels" quiet doesn't necessarily mean an error; ambient background level and a specific noise source aren't the same thing. If you believe the underlying data itself is wrong for your address (e.g. a road that's since been closed), email noise@acoustaplot.com with your report reference and we'll check it manually.

Screening and Barrier Design use your exact address point plus real ground elevation data — not just a postcode centroid — so two houses on the same street, one set back further from the road than the other, will get different results.

Where both apply, your report shows both contributions and the combined risk band, not just whichever is louder — so you can see which one actually dominates before deciding whether a barrier or glazing upgrade addresses the real source.

It's a useful, evidence-based starting point for a conversation, but (as the planning-application answer above states) it's a desktop modelled assessment, not a site-measured survey — treat it the same way: good context, not a substitute for what a lender or solicitor might formally require.