Resident living near the M40 in Lane End will get some relief from noise pollution after the district council agreed to spend £9,000 planting trees alongside the motorway.

The line of trees will be planted at Four Fields in a bid to reduce residents’ exposure to traffic noise from the M40 west of the Bullocks Farm overbridge – particularly those on Handleton Common, The Row, Prospect Drive, Finings Lane and Lammas Way.

The plans have been put together by The Lane End Conservation Group and the Chiltern Environmental Group in conjunction with the Woodland Trust.

Cllr Julia Adey said the proposals are supported by the person who owns the land and will be “complimentary” to the M40 noise barriers project which is currently being explored by Highways England.

She said: “Although we are not sure how much noise mitigation there will be, it will be aesthetically pleasing and a good visual screen and will act as a test site for Highways England to study the effect of tree planting to stop noise and pollution along motorways.”

The plans were supported by Cllr David Johncock, who added: “It will be a bit of a trial to see what benefits are derived from this. We have serious noise problems all the way along our section of the motorway and this might be another way of tackling it if we can’t get Highways England to erect barriers everywhere.”

Julian Smith, divisional environmental health officer, said the scheme will provide some “carbon capture” but there is “no clear evidence” they will act as a noise barrier.

He added: “However, once established, trees can offer a degree of noise masking, the pleasant noise of leaf movement masking the unpleasant noise of passing traffic.”