Quiet Areas

Under applicable legislation, quiet areas in an agglomeration must be delineated by the appropriate Regional Authority (in the case of Ostrava, the Moravian-Silesian Region). Directive 2000/49/EC defines quiet areas as those areas not subjected to noise from any source to an extent that the noise level Lden (day-evening-night) or another appropriate noise indicator exceeds the limits stipulated by a member state.

The purpose of delineating quiet areas is to ensure that such areas are also preserved in the future. The Czech Republic has not yet stipulated noise limits for quiet areas; nevertheless, the Noise Action Plan for the Ostrava Agglomeration contains proposals for possible quiet areas within the city.

The proposals were based on the limit Lden (day-evening-night) <55 dB; this is considered an appropriate compromise based on the requirements stipulated by European legislation. The minimum size of a quiet area is 9 ha. It will be possible to delineate quiet areas once the necessary legislation is approved.