A BRE report for English Partnerships recommended much higher acoustics standards for impact noise than were adopted at Greenwich Millennium Village.

Building revealed last month how residents had complained about excessive impact noise at Kilby Court, which was constructed to the 1992 standard.

The report, Guidance on Environmental and Innovative Aspects of Millennium Village, was written in 1997 to supplement the project brief. It recommended a standard of 55 dB for impact sound insulation rather than the 65 dB set out in the 1992 edition of Part E, which was in force when the report was published.

John Seller, the report’s author and a director at BRE, said he was “very disappointed” that the standards in the report had not been adopted. “I was asked to set a standard at which people would not complain in a high-density development,” he said. “All they have done is go for minimum Building Regulation standards, which are not desirable for high-density living.”

A spokesperson for the village developer said: “GMVL was named as preferred bidder some four months after this document was published. We built to a series of onerous sustainability standards that were agreed with English Partnerships at the time. This acoustic standard has not at any time been either a target or a requirement.”

I was asked to set a standard where people would not complain

John Seller, BRE director

The residents commissioned sound tests and found their properties failed 1992 Part E by 1 dB. GMVL has been in talks with residents about remedial work.

Alan Jones, a resident, said: “It sounds like GMVL is going to do some substantial remedial work.” He added that he wanted a numerical standard for improvements to be agreed before work started on his flat.

GMVL has offered Jones an alternative flat while work is carried out. The developer said it was starting work on Monday.