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Published: 01/05/2026Bristol Quiet Areas Plan

Blog 4: Planning for quiet spaces

Planning for Quiet Spaces: Policy, Law and Opportunity

Successful and inclusive green spaces should include healthy, quiet outdoor spaces.

The benefits of green spaces for people’s well-being, including physical and mental health, are well documented (Natural England, 2022; WHO, 2018), alongside the need for thriving green infrastructure networks to support biodiversity and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Investigation by Forest Research (2011) also shows that green spaces deliver economic benefits, including improved health, climate adaptation, water management, and increased land and property values. In city centres, these spaces can support tourism, increase visitor dwell time and activity, and contribute to more inclusive, liveable and economically resilient places (CABE Space, 2010; Natural England, 2022; RICS, 2023)

The case for green spaces is clear, and the planning system plays a key role in protecting and enhancing existing spaces and providing new ones. However, quiet spaces, while falling within the broader definition of greenspace, are seldom explicitly planned. This is particularly important given that around 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent (NHS England 2025), many of whom experience heightened sensitivity to noise. Access to quieter environments is therefore an issue of accessibility and inclusion, supported by duties under the Equality Act 2010. Despite this, there is no direct reference to “quiet spaces” in the National Planning Policy Framework (MHCLG, 2023/2025).

A man and a woman sitting on a bench in a park.

What are the planning policy ‘hooks’?

There are clear policy hooks within the NPPF that support the delivery of quiet spaces:

These policies recognise noise as a key environmental factor, but in practice, noise is treated as something to mitigate, rather than quietness being planned for as a positive spatial and health outcome.

The opportunity: Noise Action Plan (DEFRA)

DEFRA’s Noise Action Plan: Agglomerations (2019), prepared under the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006, provides a mechanism for identifying quiet areas. It requires managing environmental noise and preserving areas with good noise quality.

Local Authorities within 65 designated agglomerations can nominate spaces as “quiet areas”, typically existing Local Green Spaces, where they are relatively undisturbed and provide significant health and wellbeing benefits. Once identified, these areas can become material considerations in planning decisions. However, the process is voluntary, and uptake remains inconsistent.

Health, HIA and appraisal

The importance of quiet spaces is strongly supported by health evidence. Environmental noise is recognised by the World Health Organisation as a major environmental health risk, linked to stress, cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance and reduced wellbeing (WHO, 2018), with neurodivergent individuals often disproportionately affected.

Health Impact Assessments (HIA) provide a key opportunity to address this yet rarely assess access to quiet or restorative environments (Public Health England, 2020). The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires local authorities to consider wider social, economic and environmental benefits, supporting the recognition of quiet spaces as delivering health and wellbeing value.

The MHCLG Appraisal Guide (2026), aligned with HM Treasury’s Green Book, reinforces this by requiring measurable health outcomes with the Health Appraisal of Urban Systems (HAUS), which highlights environmental determinants, including noise and access to green space. Together, this provides a clear route to frame quiet spaces as essential health infrastructure rather than just an amenity.

Bristol: a work in progress example

Bristol provides a useful example. Policy DM35 (Noise Mitigation) supports the identification and protection of quiet areas, while Policy DM14 (Health Impacts of Development) requires Health Impact Assessments for major development (Bristol City Council, 2014).

The Bristol Quiet Areas Plan builds on this by combining environmental data and lived experience to identify and map quiet, accessible spaces that support wellbeing.

Recommendations

There are 65 agglomerations with the potential to identify quiet areas, yet uptake remains unclear, representing a significant opportunity for Local Authorities

Quiet spaces should be embedded within Local Plans and policy development. The DEFRA Land Use Framework (2026) provides an opportunity to consider quiet spaces more holistically, including identifying gaps in provision and supporting more strategic, health-led planning approaches

The Bristol Quiet Areas Plan (BQAP) could provide an evidence-based approach to identifying and mapping quiet spaces by combining environmental data with lived experience. It strengthens the evidence base for planning decisions, aligning with HIA, appraisal and social value requirements. In doing so, it offers a replicable framework to embed quiet spaces within Local Plans and policy.

Long-term, creating a more inclusive, healthier and thriving city.

This article was co-developed with Veronica Barbaro, Associate Planner at LDA Design.

References

Return to Bristol Quiet Areas Plan Blog
https://www.glos.ac.uk/content/blog-4-planning-for-quiet-spaces/