A slightly tongue-in-cheek comment, Megan.
The BA Ops Manual requires an approach to be fully stable at 1000'R. It used to be slightly more relaxed, but even then a 'reduced noise' approach was an exception to the policy.
Basically we flew at a higher speed (190kts) until 800', then reduced speed to achieve final approach speed at 300'.
This had two benefits - thrust required at 190kts was a lot less than 160kts so flew a quieter and less-thirsty approach, and the portion between 800' and 300' was quieter still.
Vref+7 gave better control and performance margins at the end of this manoeuvre - I'll try to find a reference as to why +7 came about (I recall there was a specific reason for that number, but not the detail).