Noise News
Below are links to stories about noise in relation to airports and aviation.
Dublin Airport blames runway switch – due to work on main runway – for rise in noise issues
Complaints about noise at Dublin Airport increased by 19% in 2017 as the 2nd runway (not a main runway, but subsidiary) was used more. Figures published by the airport show the public made 1,194 reports of excessive noise from planes landing and taking off - up from 1,003 in 2016. An airport spokesman said the lesser-used runway had been used more at night while the airport’s main runway was being upgraded. Flight paths and approaches took jets over more populated areas when landing on the 2nd runway, explaining why around two-thirds of the complaints to planes using the second runway, known as the “crosswind runway” or runway 16/34. Most were linked to cases where a southern approach was used. Work on the main runway is expected to continue until the end of April. An airport spokesman said he could not predict whether there might be fewer complaints in 2018, even with the runway work finished. DAA figures show that the 1,194 complaints last year came from 423 individuals. DAA plans to build a €320 million 2nd main runway by 2020. Houses in the 69 decibel noise contour near the airport are eligible for a voluntary purchase scheme, including 30% above market price + all legal and moving costs
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Heathrow have announced two ‘consultations’ in January 2018 which they labelled as the ‘next step in delivering expansion.’
Heathrow have announced two ‘consultations’ which they labelled as the ‘next step in delivering expansion.’ These will be launched on 17th January 2018, and will run for 10 weeks until 28th March.This is a separate consultation to the Government’s Airports National Policy Statement consultation, the second part of which closes on 19th December. The consultation will have two parts: the first will be on “infrastructure design options” and mitigation measures, while the second will focus on the future design principles for airspace around Heathrow. There will be around 35 consultation events – details of these will be published after 17th January. Paul McGuinness, chair of the No Third Runway Coalition, said the announcement was "disingenuous" and "To claim that the public are being consulted, when the only subjects up for discussion exclude the matters on which the public is most concerned, is little more than a charade." Mr McGuinness added that locals want to be consulted on "the flight paths for the extra 250,000 extra flights each year, and to learn which communities will start to be adversely impacted by aircraft noise for the very first time". Heathrow is trying to find ways to build the 3rd runway scheme, but at lower cost. It says part of the consultation will be about options like the "reconfiguration of the M25".
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4 main councils opposing Heathrow 3rd runway say it is unbuildable, due to noise and air pollution
Councils opposed to expansion at Heathrow have told the Transport Select Committee (TSC) inquiry into the Airports NPS that the most recent evidence published by the Government continues to demonstrate that a 3rd Heathrow runway could not be built without causing unacceptable air and noise pollution. They say that if ministers continue to support a 3rd runway, it will blight the area around the airport while failing to solve what they see as a "need" for extra airport capacity in the South East. The councils point out that the DfT's 2nd consultation on the NPS fails to show how, with a new runway, the airport could meet air quality limits in an area where pollution levels are deteriorating. Councillor Ravi Govindia, Leader of Wandsworth Council, said: "... it is clear that a third Heathrow runway is not deliverable within the new timescale of an opening in 2026. The shorter the timescale the more likely that illegal air pollution will result." The councils have also warned the TSC that the Government’s refusal to allow more time for consultation on the new evidence (just 8 weeks, ending on 19th December) "supports the view that the Secretary of State has effectively made up his mind to support Heathrow and that this is affecting the fairness of the consultation."
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Heathrow may back 3rd runway play by Arora, destroying even more homes than NW runway scheme
Heathrow have backed a new plan for a 3rd runway, which appears to cut construction costs for the scheme at the expense of the loss of even more homes and communities, in an attempt to persuade politicians to vote through the scheme in 2018. The scheme, proposed by the Arora Group is for a 500 metre shorter runway, a bit further east. It might cost £6.7 billion less than Heathrow Airport’s own North West Runway plan. John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow’s CEO, said : “it would not surprise us if we do something with him [Arora] as we expand the airport." The Arora plan would bring parts of Harlington inside the new airport boundary, along with the whole of Sipson. It would also leave Longford village boxed in and sandwiched metres between two runways. The total number of homes that would be set for demolition would be much closer to a thousand, even higher than Heathrow’s own proposal of 783 homes lost. The plan would bring the new airport boundary closer to the original scheme put forward by BAA in 2009, which was successfully defeated in the High Court. That plan proposed a 2,200-metre runway across Sipson and Harlington. Residents in the Heathrow villages are upset, as this causes yet more uncertainty, worry and fear about their future.
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Stevenage aircraft noise: Luton airport extends delayed landing gear trials
Planes flying over Stevenage on their way into Luton will continue to delay lowering their landing gear as part of an extended trial to reduce noise over the town. Luton airport started the trial between May and June this year, with more than 75% of aircraft delaying their landing gear deployment – which cuts down drag and reduces noise for the areas that benefit. The trial started after discussions between the airport, Stevenage residents, town MP Stephen McPartland and Stevenage Borough Council. Over the trial period, Luton airport says average noise from aircraft reduced by 2.7dB at six nautical miles and 3.4dB at seven nautical miles from the airport, meaning (technically) that noise on the ground was reduced by an average of 50%. (In reality, 3 dB is the smallest change in noise the human ear can detect, and the "50%" reduction is just because noise is measured on a logarithmic scale .... that makes the cut sound far better than it is ....) But there has been a small but noticeable reduction in noise and communities that have benefited have asked the airport to continue running the trial. Luton airport has revised its arrival code of practice to include recommendations to delay the deployment of landing gear. Three airline operators have also amended their standard operating practices to include the recommendations.
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Mayor’s Draft London Plan, out to consultation, adamant that aviation’s noise, CO2 and air pollution stay within limits
The Mayor of London has put out for consultation the New Draft London Plan (ends 2 March 2018). There is an extensive section on aviation, with the Mayor adamant that the aviation sector, and any airport expansion, must stay within environmental limits. The Policy T8 Aviation (P 433 of the consultation document) sets out core principles. These include: D. The Mayor will oppose the expansion of Heathrow Airport unless it can be shown that no additional noise or air quality harm would result, and that the benefits of future regulatory and technology improvements would be fairly shared with affected communities. E. All airport expansion proposals should demonstrate how public transport and other surface access networks would accommodate resulting increases in demand alongside forecast background growth; this should include credible plans by the airport for funding and delivery of the required infrastructure. F. Proposals that would lead to changes in airport operations or air traffic movements must take full account of their environmental impacts and the views of affected communities. Any changes to London’s airspace must treat London’s major airports equitably when airspace is allocated. And C - the environmental impacts of aviation must be fully acknowledged and the aviation industry should fully meet its external and environmental costs particularly in respect of noise, air quality and climate change ...
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CAA invite anyone affected by aircraft noise to complete their survey – ends 5th January 2018
The CAA has a current consultation on aircraft noise, for those affected by it. The consultation started on 6th July and ends on 5th January. It is a short survey that is easy for individuals to complete on the basis of their own personal noise experience. The CAA says it is "looking at how we can influence the aviation industry’s noise performance, and we would like to hear from people impacted by aviation noise to get a better understanding of what you would like us to do about noise." (Anything other than not allow more and more flights ....) The CAA says: "Answering these questions will help us to understand which areas people who are affected by aviation noise would like us to focus on, and therefore help to define our work programme. However, we will not always be able to act, and at the moment we are looking at how we use our existing powers to improve noise." ... "We intend to use this information to inform how we use our existing powers to improve noise performance in the coming years. If we believe that we, or another organisation, need more powers to influence the things that matter most to people, we will explain why this is the case when we publish a response."
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Paris aircraft noise pollution: 17 municipalities join in the legal fight to get noise reduced
Seventeen municipalities in Ile-de-France, near Paris, are joining the appeal, against aircraft noise, before the Council of State filed by a group of associations.Conscious of the health impact of airborne noise on their fellow citizens, they support legal action and want the application of a European regulation on sound protection around airports. The 17 communes have joined the legal action taken in April by the "Association of Defense of Val-d'Oise against the air noise nuisances" (Advocnar) and the collective "Alert nuisances aerial" (ANA). It plans to put in place Environmental Noise Prevention Plans (EFPPs) to limit the impact of air traffic on the population. On April 24, 2017 ADVOCNAR etc applied to the Conseil d'Etat for France to comply with European law concerning the reduction of noise related to air traffic around Orly airports, Roissy Charles-de -Gaulle and Le Bourget. They say the Ile-de-France is a region 10 times more populated than all other metropolitan areas in France, and concentrates half of the national air traffic. The European directive 2002/49 / CE needs the French State to engage in a real step of sustainable development, protecting the health and the sleep of the overflown populations, without calling into question the economic benefits of the presence of the 3 main Parisian airports.
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Michael Gove announces plans to consult on a new, independent body for post-Brexit UK environmental standards
Plans to consult on the creation of a new, independent body that would hold Government to account for upholding environmental standards in England after the UK leaves the EU have been set out by Environment Secretary Michael Gove. He says Brexit gives the UK the opportunity to put the environment at the heart of policy making, while ensuring vital protections for our landscapes, wildlife and natural assets are not only maintained but enhanced. To help deliver a "Green Brexit", ministers will consult on a new independent, statutory body to advise and challenge government and potentially other public bodies on environmental legislation – stepping in when needed to hold these bodies to account and enforce standards. A consultation on the specific powers and scope of the new body will be launched early in 2018. Gove said: "We will deliver a Green Brexit, where environmental standards are not only maintained but enhanced. ... we are setting out our plans to ensure the powerful are held to account." Currently environmental decisions made in the UK – from improving air and water quality to protecting endangered species – are overseen by the European Commission, which monitors targets, scrutinises new legislation and takes action against illegal behaviour. The UK must ensure that key environmental principles such as the polluter pays underpin policy making.
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Protest at Lelystad airport (Netherlands) about its expansion, to take holiday flight pressure off Schiphol
Several hundred activists demonstrated at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, against the planned expansion of the airport. They had placards, banners and horns to blast noise. Lelystad is scheduled to take over flights from Schiphol as of April 2019, when its runway extension opens. It will be taking some of the pressure off Schiphol, acting as an extra runway for holiday flights to European destinations. Local people are very worried that the 25,000 flights per year will cause a significant noise burden, and many people are horrified about the noise threat which they could not have anticipated years ago when they bought their homes. The protesters want the weather and environmental impacts re-calculated. There are due to be discussions with government agencies on flight path routes. In October 2017 the government admitted there had been errors in calculating the amount of noise, or how much noise each plane makes, but did not expect the errors to affect the chosen flight path routes or the airport opening in 2019. A petition in September got 68,000 signatures, and while a huge number of people oppose the plans, some welcome the more convenient holiday flights the move to Lelystad would allow.