THE Noise Wall Action Group presented a petition with 241 signatures relating to the Movida noise wall at the City of Swan’s ordinary council meeting on October 9.

The petition asked the city to support the group’s request that an independent consultant be hired by the city, selected in conjunction with the community, to conduct new sound measurements at various times and locations with and without a noise wall.

“This will help us understand how the noise wall affects train noise for homes on both sides of the freight rail line and how to respond to the council’s July motion seeking a community preference for solution,’’ the petition said.

The councillors decided the petition would be referred to the chief executive officer Stephen Cain with a report to be submitted to a future council meeting.

Freight train noise wall failure (Echo News, February 17, 2023) reported Swan View and Stratton residents saying the noise from freight trains, which never used to bother them, had become unbearable since the construction of the noise wall.

According to the city the noise wall met the requirements placed on the developer by the Western Australian Planning Commission.

The Noise Wall Action Group is a Swan View Community Association sub-committee.

In her statement to the council, chair Angela Charlesworth said people just wanted their lives to go back to the way they were before the noise wall was built.

“Many people are concerned about the consequences of the yet to be built sections of this wall and many people are expressing their shock and distress with the increased noise resulting from the section currently being built opposite Stratton,’’ she said.

Following the February 8, 2023 council meeting an acoustic consultant was engaged to investigate noise reflections off the eastern side of the noise wall with two reports produced – one was based on desktop noise modelling and the second incorporated updated modelling and onsite noise measurements at five locations.

The city has said the results of noise monitoring were inconclusive, with the best fit noise model showing relatively low changes in noise levels from the construction of the wall to the residences to the east, such that mitigation was not considered necessary by the consultant.

The introduction to the Freight train preliminary noise modelling report (Movida estate noise wall) prepared for the city by Lloyd George Acoustics and presented to the December 13, 2023 meeting said the report reviewed modelling methodology and the possibility of reflected noise associated with freight trains by way of a desktop study.

The desktop study produced results from noise modelling using Kilde algorithms and NORD2000 algorithms from 15 Stratton and Swan View premises located on Burton Retreat, Kurrden Way, Blackadder Road, Ella Courtyard, Spinebill Drive, O’Connor Road, Redgum Lane, Gumnut Close, Fussel Green and Yeates Lane.