Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on role of property developers in managing noise related issues

Questions:

Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider requiring (i) developers of housing and commercial projects to publish environmental factors disclosure reports covering noise and proximity to MRT viaducts, expressways and substations and (ii) buyers to acknowledge these reports prior to purchase.

Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider requiring developers of housing and commercial projects to bear part of the costs to address noise-related issues arising from pre-existing public infrastructure near said projects for up to a year after the new owners receive Temporary Occupation Permits, similar to the 1-year Defects Liability Period for HDB projects.

Combined Answer:

As part of the building approval process, the National Environment Agency (NEA) requires developers of new residential and noise sensitive developments, such as hospitals and nursing homes located near pre-existing land traffic noise sources to conduct and submit a Noise Impact Assessment (NIA).

Developers will need to put in place mitigation measures to ensure that traffic noise identified in the NIA meet noise limits specified in the Technical Guideline for Land Traffic Noise Impact Assessment. Examples of such measures include placing windows or openings away from noise sources, or using non-noise-sensitive buildings, such as multi-storey carparks and electrical substations, as noise buffers.

That said, even as developers ensure that noise levels remain within the applicable noise limits, it is inevitable that some level of traffic noise will remain. Buyers of residential properties are therefore encouraged to conduct their own assessment on surrounding noise before making property purchases.