Motorway noise could become a thing of the past with the views of commercial businesses being sought after it was announced a sound barrier trial could focus on the M40.

After listening to concerns from residents across the county, the Highways Agency say they are looking for new “pioneering ideas” for the barriers, with a trial focusing on the M40.

They will be working alongside Wycombe District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and the M40 Chiltern Environmental Group to help boost the project.

WDC cabinet member for the environment Jean Teesdale said: “This is a fantastic example of the power of people all working together to find a new way to solve an old problem.

“As the local council, we've listened to, and acted on, the concerns of our local residents who are affected by motorway noise.

“After working closely with local campaign group M40CEG, we are really excited that the Highways Agency not only shares our vision but is now working on detailed feasibility work to combine noise reduction with renewable energy on our local stretch of the M40.”

Through suppliers, the Agency hope to deliver the councils ambition to produce cost effective noise barriers, which they say may offset production and installation costs by generating electricity.

The project will run in three phases with the first centring on a feasibility study.

Entrants whose outline designs best meet the brief will then be invited to prepare submissions for approval in principal and then detailed design and the final phase will be to construct a prototype.

Mike Wilson, Chief Highway Engineer at the Highways Agency said: “Our objective is to develop cost effective noise barriers to improve community quality of life through reduced road traffic noise.

“We also want to develop designs that achieve this through low carbon energy production which could be used or exported.”

The barrier proposals will be evaluated by the partnership and successful solutions identified for the second phase will be announced in spring 2015, the Agency said.

The competition started on Friday, December 12, and will run through to March. For more information, please visit www.wycombe.gov.uk