New research from HACAN challenges official Noise Action Plans

2.6.2009   (HACAN)

To coincide with the expected publication next week by BAA of its Noise Action
Plan for Heathrow (1), campaign group HACAN today released statistics which show
that aircraft noise has become a real problem in areas many miles from the airport.

Photo:     Weedon/Hartleben

The research was carried out in Vauxhall in South London, over 16 miles from
Heathrow and just a stone’s throw from the House of Parliament.   The research
found that as many as 39 planes an hour, the majority of them over 70 decibels,
flew over Vauxhall.   The picture, above, shows the exact planes (33 in total)
which went over Vauxhall in one hour earlier this month (2).

BAA and the Government do not accept that aircraft noise is a problem for areas
such as Vauxhall.   There will be no measures to deal with them in the Noise Action
Plan.    

HACAN, which saw an early draft of BAA’s Action Plan (3), has published its own
proposals for tackling aircraft noise (4).   HACAN argues that BAA’s proposals
will be ‘totally inadequate’ to deal with the situation.

The European Union requires all member states to draw up Noise Action Plans for
conurbations of more the 250,000 people, for the busiest roads and railways and
for airports with more than 50,000 movements a year.   DEFRA, the government department
responsible for noise action plans, has asked BAA itself to draw up the action
plans for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

HACAN Chair John Stewart said, "This makes a mockery of noise action plans.  
The Government has off-loaded its responsibility on to BAA.   BAA’s plan will only
contain things they were going to do anyway.   Certainly their initial draft was
completely inadequate.   It didn’t even attempt to deal with the real noise issues
affecting communities.   That is the reason why we have produced our own report."

BAA’s Noise Action Plan is expected to go out to 16 weeks public consultation
on 8th June.   The Government is expected to submit its final plans to the European
Union by the end of tENDS

 

 

 Notes for Editors and Picture Editors:


(1).   BAA expects to publish is Noise Action Plan for public consultation on
8th June.


(2).   Further details of the research will be published over the Summer.   The
picture needs to be credited to Weedon/Hartleben


(3). See   ‘Draft list of actions May 09’. 

 


(4).   See   ‘Noise Action Plan Consultation’. 

 


For more information


John Stewart on 0207 737 641; 07957385650

 

www.hacan.org.uk