Abstract
According to data given by the Australian Council of Trade Unions there are about 1.5 million Australian children under the age of five. Every year 250,000 new babies are born and by the time a child is in his or her second year, 57% of mothers are back in the workforce and by the time children turn three, 68% of mothers are back in the workforce. Many new childcare facilities have recently been constructed in the built environment in many parts of Australia and New Zealand to cater for this growing demand. The proposed location of childcare facilities is highly important because of the noise impact they will have on the surrounding neighbours. However, in many cases childcare facilities are being proposed in normal residential roads with as many as five neighbouring residential properties at their boundaries. Often childcare proprietors would like to accommodate as many children as practicable. This can be as many as 50 to 60, or even 90 children in the age group 2 to 5.