Manston airport now consulting on its draft Noise Action Plan

Date added: 18 March, 2014

Airports are required to draw up Noise Action Plans:  “It is a DEFRA requirement that all UK airports prepare a Noise Action Plan (NAP) based on 2011 noise maps. These regulations are a result of the European Directive commonly known as the Environmental Noise Directive (END).” Bickerdike Allen Partners have been retained by Manston Airport to prepare a NAP, and this will require consultation with the Airport’s Consultative Committee and the wider public. The consultation lasts 6 weeks between 14th March and 4th July 2014. Following consultation the plan will be finalised and submitted to the Government.  Unfortunately Bickerdike Allen Partners produced a noise report for Manston in 2012, which was found to have seriously  under-stated the noise nuisance from Manston. The current report also contains inaccuracies and omissions. The community group, No NIght Flights at Manston, urge residents to take part in the consultation and warn: “If you live under or near the flight path, please remember that these people do not have your best interests at heart.” Those troubled by aircraft noise have found airport Noise Action Plans to be high on words, and worthy statements of good intent, but low on any real actions or targets to genuinely reduce aircraft noise 
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Manston airport now consulting on NOISE

Ah, the joys of consulting. North-east Kent’s favourite airport is obliged to produce a Noise Action Plan for the Government, and we all get to say what we think. As it says on their website:

“It is a DEFRA requirement that all UK airports prepare a Noise Action Plan (NAP) based on 2011 noise maps. These regulations are a result of the European Directive commonly known as the Environmental Noise Directive (END).

The NAP considers whether the current noise control measures are sufficient with respect to Manston’s operations, and also describes other measures that will be introduced over the coming years to further mitigate the impact of the Airport’s operations on the local community.

Bickerdike Allen Partners have been retained by Manston Airport to prepare a Noise Action Plan. In summary this involves the drawing up of a draft NAP for consultation with the Airport’s Consultative Committee and the wider public. “

The Airport’s Draft NAP is now completed and we invite you to view and comment on this document during the 16 week consultation period from 14 March to 4 July 2014.Following consultation the plan will be finalised and submitted to the Government.

So Manston, and have called in their old pals from Bickerdike Allen Partners to conjure up a report for them. Yes, it’s the very same Bickerdike Allen Partners who were caught out under-stating the noise nuisance from Manston the last time Manston hired them (2012 – copied below).

Have they learned their lessons?

Are their facts now crisp, and bang on the nail? Er, no. I only got to page 5 before the red mist rose and obscured the nonsense. Section 1.2.1 – Airport Location starts:

“Manston Airport lies approximately 20 km northeast of Canterbury, Kent and 4 km west of Ramsgate.”

Click it to big it.

Click it to big it.

Here’s a map, there’s the scale, there’s the airport, and there’s Ramsgate. Four kilometres? Really? What do you think?

 [It might be 4km from the centre of the airport to the centre of the town, but ore like 1.5 km from the end of the runway to the outskirts of the town].

Manston Draft Noise Action Plan 2014 (51 pages, 1.2Mb PDF)

Manston Draft Noise Action Plan 2014

(51 pages, 1.2Mb PDF) Noise Action Plan – first draft.

You can download your copy of BAP’s fairy story by clicking the link above.

There is a prize of incalculable worth to the reader who finds and sends in the greatest number of errors, half-truths and truth-omissions.

They’re still pushing the line that noise should only be monitored between 11:30pm and 6:30am. And they say that the S106 is effective. And so on.

Read it, carefully, and TAKE PART IN THE CONSULTATION. If you live under or near the flight path, please remember that these people do not have your best interests at heart – it’s time to make your voice heard.

http://hernebaymatters.com/nnf-blog/?null

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Earlier:

Noise Nuisance Under-stated

Manston’s night flying application was backed up by a report on noise nuisance from Bickerdike Allen Partners (BAP).

The BAP report assumes that house windows are closed all year, thus understating the decibels heard by residents by 27dB.

The Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) report picks up on this:

“[p11] This of course fails to consider the partially open window situation described in both WHO guidelines and PPG24, which might be expected in the late spring, summer and early autumn months of the year. This corresponds to the months of year covered by the summer timetable in which the bulk of activity occurs at most airports in the UK.”

The PB report also correctly identifies the obvious flaw with Manston’s proposal to exclude parts of the night from the night quota period. This would inevitably result in a late-night and early morning rush hour:

“[p11] In relation to the proposed QC quota, the exclusion of the shoulder hours from the night time period is out of step with other airports, and would result in a “cramming” of movements into the shoulder hours, times in which most of the UK population is attempting to get to sleep, or before they would normally wake.”

(The night quota period is when they propose to monitor and limit aircraft noise – 2330 to 0600. The so-called shoulder periods – 2300 to 2330 and 0600 to 0700 – would be treated as normal daytime, and would not be included.)

The PB report says the assessment of noise impact completely under-estimates the noise impact – under any other circumstances this would be an unacceptable proposal:

[“p11] … the failure to consider the impacts with windows open, coupled with a mitigation scheme that potentially may not reflect the noise risks from larger aircraft movements at night, may not be as favourable to protecting the local amenity for nearby residents. Had the council been considering a planning application for night operations with 5338 properties above 48 dB, and 312 exposed to the 95 dB Single Event Level, it is unlikely that the application would be seen favourably unless there was a substantive economic argument for its approval.”

The PB report says in summary:

“[p12] The analysis of the noise impacts have, in our opinion, resulted in an underestimation of the potential adverse impacts on residents in the area.”

http://hernebaymatters.com/nnf-blog/noise-nuisance-under-stated.html

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Earlier:

 

Defra publishes its noise action plan for agglomerations (section on aircraft), roads and railways

6.2.2014Defra has updated its Noise Action Plans for large urban areas, roads and railways following a consultation that closed in October 2013. There has been no update to the guidance for Airport Operators since July 2013 but the Noise Action Plan for agglomerations has some information about aviation noise.  The Government‟s policy on noise is set out in the Noise Policy Statement for England (NPSE). Its vision is to: “Promote good health and a good quality of life through the effective management of noise within the context of Government policy on sustainable development.” It aims to avoid, mitigate and minimise significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life. earlier Defra prepared guidance for airport operators on how to prepare their Noise Action Plans, including the management of aircraft noise affecting noise sensitive buildings, such as schools and hospitals. Unfortunately responsibility for preparing airport Action Plans rests with the relevant airport operators, which is akin to having the fox in control of the hen-house. Those troubled by aircraft noise have found airport Noise Action Plans to be high on words, and worthy statements of good intent, but low on any real actions or targets to genuinely reduce aircraft noise – with rising numbers of air transport movements.

https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=19779
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Noise Action Plan: Agglomerations 
Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006, as amended – January 2014

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/noise-action-plans-large-urban-areas-roads-and-railways

The section on Noise from Aircraft states:

Part E: Noise from aircraft
15.

The management of the impact of aircraft noise in agglomerations

15.1

This section applies to agglomerations affected by noise from the operations
at airports covered by the Regulations.

15.2

As outlined in the regulations, the relevant Airport Operators are the Competent Authorities for development of the Action Plan for their airport.

15.3

The Regulations required that noise level information from aircraft (air noise)  [Footnote: The Regulations require that only air noise be mapped; that is the noise from the moment that the aircraft is about to move down the runway at take-off (known as start of roll) to the moment after landing and just before it turns off the runway to taxi to the stand.] be determined in terms of several noise indicators. These include:

 Lden
 Lnight

15.4 The estimated total number of people and dwellings exposed above various
noise levels from the strategic mapping of noise from aircraft using these
airports will be available on the Defra website.

15.5

The relevant airports are either revising their existing Noise Action Plans or preparing an Action Plan if none already exists. The Airport Action Plans will be published on the websites of the relevant Airports.

15.6

For the purposes of this Noise Action Plan, only the noise impact from those airports for which noise mapping was required to be carried out according to the Regulations has been considered. Some agglomerations are not affected by noise from any of those airports. A list of agglomerations affected by aircraft noise covered by the Regulations is shown in Appendix C, along with links to the relevant airport Action Plans.

16. Noise from aircraft in agglomerations: identification of problems and situations that need to be investigated 

16.1

Defra prepared guidance for airport operators regarding the preparation of their Action Plans. It included the following:

 As a first priority, consider what further measures should be taken in areas shown by the noise maps to have residential premises exposed to more than 69 dB LAeq,16h according to the results of the strategic noise mapping;

 Consider what further measures should be taken to assist the management of aircraft noise affecting noise sensitive buildings, such as schools and hospitals, in the light of the policy in the Aviation Policy Framework; and

 More generally, examine the day, evening and night results produced from the noise mapping and consider whether there are any features of the noise impact from departing or arriving aircraft that might be managed further.

17.

Noise from aircraft in agglomerations: actions that Defra intends to take

17.1

Defra will review the draft Noise Action Plans prepared or revised by the various airport operators to be satisfied that the requirements of the regulations have been met and the action planning guidance followed. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for formally adopting the airport Noise Action Plans.

17.2

An airport operator will need to consider whether any element of their proposed airport Action Plan might conflict with any formally identified quiet areas. In order to avoid any such conflict arising, Defra will liaise with airport operators whose operations affect an agglomeration and inform them of any quiet areas.

18.

Noise from aircraft in agglomerations: long term strategy

18.1

Defra will continue to encourage any development of future policy on aviation and sustainable transport to reflect any emerging scientific knowledge or trends in community response to noise from aircraft.

18.2

Defra will continue to liaise with the Department for Transport regarding the establishment of reliable data on the community response to noise from aircraft.

18.3

Defra will continue to develop, agree and disseminate good practice approaches and methodologies through the Interdepartmental Group on Costs and Benefits noise subject group (IGCB(N)) to support the policy appraisal of noise. Further information is available from www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/economics/igcb.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/276228/noise-action-plan-agglomerations-201401.pdf

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Posted: Tuesday, March 18th, 2014. Filed in News about Airports, Noise News, Recent News.