Gedling borough has the quietest nights of anywhere in England and Wales, according to a new study examining noise, crime, green space and nightlife.
The borough has also been named the second most peaceful place to live in the East Midlands, finishing just behind neighbouring Rushcliffe.
Research carried out by property specialists SAM Conveyancing gave Gedling a “peace score” of 83.2 out of 100, putting it 11th out of 316 local authority areas across England and Wales.
But when it comes specifically to night-time noise, Gedling came out on top nationally.
According to the study, just 30.9% of people in the borough live in homes exposed to night-time road or rail noise above the World Health Organization guideline of 40 decibels.
That compares with a national median of 49.8%.
Only 3.4% of Gedling residents were found to be exposed to night-time noise above 55 decibels, compared with a national median of 6.3%.
Researchers analysed noise levels at 37.7 million individual addresses, using national noise mapping data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Gedling among UK’s most peaceful places
The study looked at four factors considered likely to affect how peaceful somewhere is to live: night-time noise, crime levels, publicly accessible green space and proximity to nightlife venues including pubs, bars and clubs.
Gedling recorded a crime rate of 53.2 offences per 1,000 residents, according to the figures used in the research.
That helped the borough achieve an overall score of 83.2, putting it comfortably inside the national top 20.
Rushcliffe took the East Midlands crown with a score of 86.8, placing it fourth nationally.
North West Leicestershire was third in the region, followed by Rutland and South Derbyshire.
East Midlands’ 10 most peaceful areas
- Rushcliffe – 86.8 – 4th nationally
- Gedling – 83.2 – 11th nationally
- North West Leicestershire – 79.0 – 24th nationally
- Rutland – 77.0 – 32nd nationally
- South Derbyshire – 72.9 – 44th nationally
- North East Derbyshire – 72.4 – 47th nationally
- Bolsover – 71.1 – 51st nationally
- North Kesteven – 70.6 – 53rd nationally
- Harborough – 68.5 – 60th nationally
- Blaby – 67.7 – 64th nationally
Nottingham comes bottom in the region
There is a striking difference just a few miles down the road.
Nottingham was ranked the least peaceful of the 35 East Midlands local authority areas included in the research.
The city scored 17.2 out of 100, placing it 300th out of 316 authorities nationally.
According to the study, Nottingham had the region’s highest recorded crime rate, at 124.9 offences per 1,000 residents, as well as its highest level of night-time noise exposure.
Researchers found 11.3% of residents were living with night-time noise above 55 decibels.
Lincoln was ranked 34th in the East Midlands and Chesterfield 33rd.
Millions living with night-time noise
The research also found that noise is a widespread problem across the country.
SAM Conveyancing estimates that more than 33 million people in England and Wales live in homes exposed to night-time road or rail noise above the WHO’s 40-decibel guideline.
Around 5.2 million people, according to the study, are exposed to levels above 55 decibels.
Andrew Boast, CEO of SAM Conveyancing, said people looking for a new home often spend considerable time investigating prices, surveys and school catchment areas but overlook how noisy an area can become after dark.
He said information about road traffic, railway lines and nearby licensed premises was publicly available and urged buyers to investigate potential night-time noise before committing to a property.
The research was based on analysis of data from Defra, the Home Office, Ordnance Survey and the Food Standards Agency.
Source: SAM Conveyancing.
