Noise Network Plus Webinar – Episode 3 – Market Pulled, Mission Led: Supporting Housing Policy on Ex‑Rail Land

Date: Thursday 30 July 2026

Time: 1:00PM (UK Time)

Format: Live Online Webinar via/ Teams

UK housing policy is increasingly shaped by the need to deliver new homes quickly, sustainably, and on previously developed land. Recently, former railway sites have emerged as a key part of this strategy, supported by public‑sector mechanisms intended to unlock land, attract investment, and accelerate delivery. These sites present both opportunity and risk. Well located and well connected, rail‑adjacent land can play a significant role in addressing housing need. At the same time, it is frequently affected by groundborne vibration and re‑radiated noise, creating long‑term challenges for residential amenity if acoustic performance is treated as a secondary consideration. History shows that where these issues are addressed late, outcomes are often constrained, costly, or compromised.

This webinar explores how current housing policy translates into real development conditions on ex‑rail land, and how the structural realities of delivery influence technical decision‑making. Rather than focusing on isolated case studies, the discussion will focus around recurring patterns: where existing solutions perform well, where they introduce disproportionate cost or complexity, and where greater predictability would materially improve outcomes. In doing so, it frames ground borne vibration isolation not as a barrier to delivery, but as an area where targeted research could meaningfully support the success of rail adjacent housing at scale.

Ryan Arbabi

Ryan Arbabi is a Chartered Acoustic Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics, specialising in building acoustics, low-frequency vibration control, and groundborne noise risk in the built environment. He is Major Projects Director at Farrat, where he provides both technical and commercial leadership on complex, high‑value infrastructure, residential and specialist performance buildings, with particular focus on early‑stage design decisions, contractual risk, and performance verification. Ryan is an active contributor to the acoustics profession, serving on the Institute of Acoustics Building Acoustics Group Committee and Editorial Board and is an author of peer‑reviewed research and patented vibration‑isolation technologies.