Wales noise map: what it shows and misses
Wales has its own official noise maps, published by the Welsh Government. They are free to use and are the right first look at road and rail noise for a Welsh address. They are separate from the English maps, so a shade on one is not strictly comparable with the same shade on the other.
Where is the noise map for Wales?
The Welsh Government's 2022 strategic noise maps are published on DataMapWales as "Environmental Noise Mapping 2022". The data is available under the Open Government Licence, so it can also be opened in mapping software.
The Welsh Government says it appointed Noise Consultants Ltd to produce the maps, using Defra's Noise Modelling System.
What do the Welsh noise maps show?
The maps cover road, railway and industrial noise. The Welsh Government says it mapped all roads and railways across Wales, going beyond the legal minimum, so more of the network is included than in older rounds.
Levels are shown as Lden (an annual average over 24 hours, weighted for evening and night), Lnight (the average between 11pm and 7am, the measure to check if sleep matters to you) and LAeq,16h (the average between 7am and 11pm). The night and daytime values are calculated at a height of 4 metres, which is roughly a first-floor window, not ground level in a garden.
Can I compare the 2022 maps with older Welsh maps?
Not directly. The Welsh Government states that the 2022 outputs are not comparable with noise maps produced before, so a change in colour between an old map and a new one is not evidence that a place has got louder or quieter.
What a noise map cannot tell you
A national noise map is modelled, not measured. It shows an estimated level for an area, not what it sounds like in one garden or bedroom, and it describes a single mapping year, so it will not show a road or railway that has changed since.
A blank or pale area is not a guarantee of silence: maps stop at a lowest level, so quieter areas show no colour. And individual events, such as a single lorry or a passing freight train, are averaged out.
Using the map when you are buying in Wales
Look at the night-time view as well as the daytime one, visit at different times of day, and ask the seller what has been done about noise. Our guide to Lden and Lnight explains how to read the two together, and our guide to buying a house near a motorway or busy road has a fuller checklist.
Does AcoustaPLOT cover Wales?
Not yet. AcoustaPLOT's address check currently covers addresses in England only, so we cannot give a modelled result for a Welsh address. Our UK noise map guide lists the official map for every nation.
Official sources
Other nations
- UK noise map: where to see road and rail noise (an overview of all four nations)
- Scotland noise map: what it shows and misses
- Northern Ireland noise map: what it shows