Heathrow flight path trial over Teddington & Twickenham “could be shortened” due to volume of complaints

The Heathrow flight path trial affecting Teddington and Twickenham could be shortened – from its due end on 26th January 2015 – due to pressure from thousands of residents. Heathrow has temporarily changed easterly departure routes as part of the Government’s future airspace strategy, but the move has prompted an average of 350 complaints per day affected by the noise increase. An online petition, run by TeddingtonTown.co.uk, has received thousands of signatures from people furious with the increased noise from planes and those calling for an end to the trials. Twickenham MP Vince Cable has stepped in and demanded an urgent meeting with senior management at the airport. He said:  “There has always been a problem with easterly take offs over local residences, especially late at night, but the latest trials have had especially serious impacts in Teddington.” Mr Cable knows well that the increased noise is a sign of what could happen on a permanent basis if there is a 3rd runway.  There is due to be a public consultation about defining permanent routes in 2016 and the final decision is taken by government.
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Heathrow flight path trial over Teddington and Twickenham “could be shortened” due to complaints

Noisy: Residents are unhappy with the noise created by the new flight paths

26 September 2014
by George Odling, (Richmond & Twickenham Times)
A trial testing flight paths over Teddington and Twickenham could be shortened due to pressure from thousands of residents.

Heathrow has temporarily changed easterly departure routes as part of the Government’s future airspace strategy, but the move has prompted an average of 350 complaints per day affected by the noise increase. [Heathrow complains lines are swamped]

An online petition, run by TeddingtonTown.co.uk, has received thousands of signatures from people furious with the increased noise from planes and those calling for an end to the trials.

Twickenham MP Vince Cable has stepped in and demanded an urgent meeting with senior management at the airport.

Dr Cable said: “There has always been a problem with easterly take offs over local residences, especially late at night, but the latest trials have had especially serious impacts in Teddington.

The Business Secretary said he was promised a meeting for residents to discuss the issue, and believes the increased noise is a sign of what could happen on a permanent basis if the airport expands.

He said: “While there is, rightly, a focus on the third runway issue, we are being reminded that unfavourable take off patterns and times can have a comparable, or bigger, impact in the short run.”

The trials are intended to continue until January 26, 2015, before a public consultation about defining permanent routes in 2016, but the backlash could see the trial ending sooner.

A Heathrow spokesman said: “While enough time is needed in the trials to gather relevant data, Heathrow is working with the National Air Traffic Services and Civil Aviation Authority to explore if the trial period can be shortened.

“Ultimately it will be for the Government to decide what changes will be made to UK airspace and a thorough public consultation in 2016 will take place before permanent flight paths are decided.”

http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/11497333.Heathrow_flight_path_trial__could_be_shortened__due_to_complaints/

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See earlier:

Teddington petition to Heathrow to stop the easterly departures trial and not allow it to become permanent

Finding themselves now affected by a newly concentrated flight path for Heathrow easterly departures, people in Teddington are now up in arms about the intensified noise. The trial started on 28th July and is due to last till 15th January 2015. They have set up a petition, to Heathrow, to ask that the current noise level does not continue. The flight path trials are part of the Future Airspace Strategy (FAS) with the aim of getting ever more planes using Heathrow, more efficiently. People in Teddington are angry that Heathrow have stated that: “Before the trials started in December last year we briefed local authorities; residents groups; campaign groups and MPs around Heathrow” yet Heathrow will not provide any details on who was contacted and when. In reality most people were not informed or warned. They would have liked to have been informed (so much for airports stating how much better they are getting at communication with communities ….). The affected residents are calling on Heathrow to halt these trials as soon as possible due to the negative impact on the quality of life they are causing for many people. They also call on Heathrow to recommend that the flight path changes are not made permanent.

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