The government has published for consultation the industry's robust standard detail proposals devised to satisfy new sound insulation rules. The RSDs have been drawn up over the past year in a major HBF-backed project in which 58 housebuilding companies provided sites for fieldwork which saw 1300 homes sound tested in just six months. The RSDs have been devised as a proposed alternative to builders having to carry out post-construction testing on new homes. The government asked HBF to prove that the RSDs would work after housebuilders argued that testing would lead to delays and higher costs. This submission, compiled against a tight timetable of just nine months, is the industry's response. Now the government is calling for comments on the RSDs from interest parties. The new Part E of the Building Regulations on sound insulation came into force on July 1 with post-construction testing applying to new houses and flats from January 1 2004. The industry is hoping that the RSDs will be an accepted alternative by then. The HBF proposals can be found on www.odpm.gov.uk - the consultation ends on November 10.