CAGNE writes to Chief Medical officer on health dangers of approx 14,000 annual Gatwick night flights

CAGNE, (Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions), has written to the Chief Medical Officer Health of the Department of Health and Social Care, Professor Dame Sally Davies, asking for research to be undertaken to the true cost to health of night flights on communities surrounding Gatwick.  Gatwick currently has permission to fly 14,250 flights at night per year with no restrictions on the number of arrivals and departures they are permitted to fly over sleeping rural communities of Sussex, Surrey and Kent during the hours of 11.30pm and 6am. CAGNE said: “There has been international research into the health impacts of night flights and the conclusions have shown that aircraft night movements have serious ramifications on the wellbeing of communities.  And yet Gatwick is allowed to fly the most night flights of any airport in the UK today with no cost evaluation to the NHS budgets or wellbeing of people who suffer sleep deprivation due to aircraft movements at night.” Gatwick has the most night flights of any UK airport. It has only made token gestures to reduce the night noise over rural communities that surround it.  Residents have a normal expectation of having a full night’s sleep of 8 hours sleep as recommended by Sleep Foundation, but for too many this is not possible.

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CAGNE raises health concerns over night flights

3.4.29017

CAGNE, (Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions), has written to the Chief Medical Officer Health of the Department of Health and Social Care, Professor Dame Sally Davies, asking for research to be undertaken to the true cost to health of night flights on communities surrounding Gatwick. 

Gatwick currently has permission to fly 14,250 flights at night per year with no restrictions on the number of arrivals and departures they are permitted to fly over sleeping rural communities of Sussex, Surrey and Kent during the hours of 11.30pm and 6am.

CAGNE said:

“There has been international research into the health impacts of night flights and the conclusions have shown that aircraft night movements have serious ramifications on the wellbeing of communities.  And yet Gatwick is allowed to fly the most night flights of any airport in the UK today with no cost evaluation to the NHS budgets or wellbeing of people who suffer sleep deprivation due to aircraft movements at night.

“It is about time that the health and wellbeing of communities came before profits of the airlines and airports.  With Heathrow continuing to offer night respite to communities and a ban of 6.5 hours with a third runway which Gatwick never offered with a second runway.  We feel it is about time the true cost to the NHS is understood from ill health of residents that are deprived sleep due to the noise of aircraft.”

Note to Editor:

Letter from CAGNE to Professor Dame Sally Davies copied below: 

With its appendices, it can be seen at  CAGNE letter to Dame Sally Davies 26.3.18

26th March 2018

Professor Dame Sally Davies

Chief Medical Officer Health (Department of Health and Social Care)
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU

 

Dear Dame Sally Davies

CAGNE is a community group established in February 2014 that seeks a fair and equitable distribution of arrivals and departures to the east and west of Gatwick Airport.

We contact you with regards to the recent document on ‘Health Impacts of All Pollutions 2017’ with interest in the sections relating to aircraft noise.

Gatwick has the most night flights of any UK airport. It has only made token gestures to reduce the night noise over rural communities that surround it.   Residents have a normal expectation of having a full night’s sleep of 8 hours sleep as recommended by Sleep Foundation** . This is not possible due to the large number of night flights flown out of Gatwick Airport.

Gatwick has 11,200 night movements during the summer schedule with dispensations to allow for more.  The Government 2017 night quotas are permitting Gatwick to grow by 60% during the winter schedule.  In 2016 Gatwick had around a 2% increase in night movements resulting in more people affected within the 57Leq noise contour.****

Although your above mentioned document touches on night noise and light pollution *** it does not fully investigate the impact of night flights on the health and wellbeing of those that endure the continual noise and light.

There have been many international studies on the impact of aircraft noise and the effects on health, but nothing is being actively done to reduce the impact of night noise. Studies show that sleep loss and poor-quality sleep also lead to accidents and injuries at work and on the roads. The lack of sleep or impaired sleep significantly impacts thinking and learning. Repeated lack of sleep puts residents at risk from serious medical conditions such as heart disease and attacks, high blood pressure and strokes. * In a war torture or interrogation scenario, sleep deprivation tactics are used to bring about a change in psychological state. We see no difference in being woken every few minutes by yet another plane landing or departing at Gatwick.

The recent CAGNE survey carried out over 3 month (released January 2018) residents participating from Sussex, Surrey and Kent, showed that at Gatwick 36.82% wanted a ban on night departures and 32.0% on arrivals landing during the night.  Gatwick and airlines claim that a ban would not be feasible due to and the requirements of aircraft turnaround  for early morning departures or long-haul flight requirements.

Gatwick try to use night noise quotas with modern aeroplanes compared to old aeroplanes that to illustrate that noise has been reduced.  The fact is that the frequency by which planes are flown at Gatwick continues to increase and so does the disturbance of adults and children endeavouring to sleep.

Please see appendix A and B for movement and quota figures for Gatwick and other London airports.  Please note that Heathrow is offering a 6.5-hour no fly at night with the third runway.  Gatwick Airport submitted proposals for expansion with two runways operating simultaneously throughout the day and night.

Many residents do not get any respite from aircraft noise as they are overflown 24/7 by arrivals and departure, multiple routes, and yet they are not given any priority status by Gatwick Airport even though the planes are flying below 4,000ft. Other airports affords respite to their surrounding communities in effect to provide  ‘nights off’ from aircraft.

Residents feel helpless, unable to stop night noise or the late evening noise up to 11.30pm when both noise and the light pollution*. Another major issue is the deluge of early morning departures that start before 6.30am.

Gatwick Airport is at its busiest during the summer months when people sit in gardens late or have windows open so the impact of the increased noise is even more detrimental.

Although Gatwick Airport has implemented a Noise Action Plan that goes some way to introduce measures to reduce aircraft noise and night noise, it does not detail the health cost equivalent to them continuing to fly such a large number of planes at night.  Gatwick will argue that planes have become quieter and that they are seeking to run a reduced night noise trial of RNAV routes, but Gatwick having introduced PRNAV on all departure routes in 2014, the concentration of routes may reduce the total number impacted but it is mental torture for anyone below the single route; Gatwick flies arrivals and departures at night. ***

The fact remains that Gatwick has more night flights than any other airport and does not seek to reduce the number of aircraft movements or ban them.  Gatwick also use Government dispensations to allow planes, which are banned from night scheduleing due to noise levels, to fly at night as well as taking unused winter movements into the summer schedule.

We would like to ask if you would consider undertaking research and producing a document to the full extent of the night noise on the residents surrounding Gatwick, which are mostly rural areas with an ambient noise of less than 30dB at night.  Even where there is mixed urban/rural areas the noise is drastically reduced at night and thus aircraft have a significant affect.  The health impact of Gatwick’s operations compared to the economic benefits for the airport and airlines has never been assessed and the Department for Transport WebTag Noise Appraisal is only as good as the data input.

We are not alone in enduring airport night noise as the WHO (World Heath Organisation) details that ‘one in five Europeans is regularly exposed to sound levels at night that could significantly damage health.’  And Aviation Environment Federation 2016 survey found that 73%**** of participants felt night noise was an issue.

It is felt that national research is required to fully understand the impact of aircraft noise at night on the health of the UK citizens and the price we are paying in financial burden to the NHS the workplace and the national economy through sleep deprivation.

We thank you in advance for your consideration and look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

 

Sally Pavey

Chair of CAGNE

 

*https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/10-results-sleep-loss#1

** https://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

***https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/

**** CAA Gatwick Noise Contour 2016

**** www.aef.org.uk

NB: We have included the history of Gatwick’s night movements and passages from your report

 

Cc

Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries Unit ; Sarah Bishop – Department for Transport
CAGNE

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