Noise News
Below are links to stories about noise in relation to airports and aviation.
Local group, PAGNE, at Pulborough and Amberley, in the South Downs, working to get reduction in Gatwick noise
Though at least 20 - 25 kilometres away from Gatwick, the area of Pulborough and Amberley, in the South Downs National Park, suffer from plane noise. A local group - PAGNE, Pulborough Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions - formed last year to oppose the changed Gatwick flight paths. They are affected by arrivals into Gatwick, especially when there are easterly winds, and planes land at Gatwick from the west - which happens around 30 - 35% of the year. Due to the height of parts of Amberley, rising to well over 500 feet, the noise from planes are around 5,000 feet is significantly greater than would be experienced at sea level. PAGNE's Chairman, Ian Hare, said he was working with other flight path groups around Gatwick and with groups around Heathrow to press the government to get flight paths dispersed without any concentration over rural areas. PAGNE also wants aircraft to come in at a higher altitude. Current government guidance is for air traffic management to prioritise minimisation of noise below 4,000 feet; balancing noise and CO2 emissions from 4,000 to 7,000 feet; and prioritising CO2 emissions over 7,000 feet. Groups want noise prioritised up to 7,000 feet, because of the impacts on those being over flown.
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Letter from an angry and exasperated sufferer of noise from Gatwick’s changed flight paths
People living to the east of Gatwick continue to suffer from the intense noise of newly concentrated flight paths over their heads. This not only causes "annoyance" - the euphemistic term used by the government for noise nuisance - but real anguish for those now afflicted by the change. For many the newly increased number of flights over their homes, and often lower planes, all day and into the night, is intolerable. The degree of anger and upset of thousands of people is intense. It is all the more so because of the failure of Gatwick, the CAA or NATS to give proper responses to complaints, or proper explanations of what has happened. Stewart Wingate has said "some people have the impression that something may have changed, but I can assure you that is not the case." That sort of comment by the airport, often repeated, has merely strengthened the determination and anger of the new noise sufferers to get change. Below is (slightly edited) a letter from someone badly affected by now having effectively an "aerial motorway" in the sky over their home. It reflects how people feel, when through no fault of their own, they find the pleasant area in which they chose to live, has become a noise "ghetto" and the powers that be are reluctant to do anything about it. Concentrated flight paths are not proving to be a success with the over-flown public.
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Teddington Action Group show – from Heathrow report – that they are now suffering more aircraft noise
Residents in Twickenham and Teddington have been aware of greatly increased aircraft noise from Heathrow, over the past year. However, Heathrow have for months insisted that the noise has not increased. Now an independent report commissioned and paid for by Heathrow, by PA Consulting has shown that the residents are right. Examining data between November 2011 and May 2015, the report confirms that planes - especially the heavier, noisier types - are flying lower than previously over the area, in greater numbers and concentrated within flight paths. Also that the periods of greatest disruption are increasingly late at night and early in the morning. Rather than being associated with the 2014 Flight Path Trials, which saw record numbers of noise complaints from residents, the report states that these developments merely reflect the general trend of fleet development and air traffic movements. TAG say they have more of the noisiest long haul planes flying over lower than before, sometimes at little more than 2,000 feet in Teddington and 1,400 feet in Twickenham. Worryingly, if this disruption stems from new flight trends, it is only likely to get worse, and for many other areas overflown by Heathrow planes.
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Citizens in major cities across the USA will unite on Saturday 24th for #NoFlyDay – against NextGen
On Saturday 24th October, thousands of citizens in major cities across the USA will be protesting - to mark #NoFlyDay - a national movement to restore peace and quiet to communities where it has been destroyed by the FAA’s NextGen (like PBN in the UK) program. The organisers say the protests will draw attention to the FAA’s brazen disregard of citizens' health and welfare, being put at risk by NextGen's program to redesign airspace and modernize air traffic control. They want Congress to put the program on hold until major modifications are made. “The FAA is in the process of building an interstate highway in the sky largely under the radar of the American public,” said a #NoFlyDay organiseer. “Their formula is simple: tell as few people as possible, use vague language, and in some cases disregard community outreach and input all together. This is a gross violation of our right to due process under the law.” In 2012 the FAA led Congress to believe that NextGen would have “no significant noise impacts” and convinced it to pass a bill exempting NextGen from the environmental review process and from public hearings. People are angry at how the FAA has behaved, and want all Americans protected from unacceptable levels of jet noise, and their health impacts.
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Flight path groups write to Heathrow to express concerns about ineffectual Community Noise Forum
Communities around London have written to Heathrow challenging the airport’s engagement with local communities and demanding a range of measures to mitigate the damaging effects of aviation noise on health. The letter is signed by 7 groups which are members of Heathrow’s Community Noise Forum (CNF), that was set up earlier this year in response to a record number of noise complaints. The letter brands the operation of the CNF as “a talking shop and essentially a PR exercise for Heathrow to claim community consultation while taking minimal action” and that “noise from Heathrow has become intolerable”. Given the seriousness of the issues, and the stated intention of the DfT to increase the intensity of the use of airspace over the next few years, the groups also call for a fully independent and comprehensive inquiry to investigate the adverse health impacts of aviation on residential communities. They outline immediate measures that the airport should take to minimise the impacts. These include: reversing changes to flight paths, which have become lower and more concentrated; a permanent ban on night flights starting in 2017; restrictions on the noisiest types of aircraft in the early morning and late in the evening - and other changes.
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Gatwick noise campaigners “optimistic” about flight paths review by Bo Redeborn
After weeks of negotiations, campaigners have reached an agreement with Gatwick over the terms of its review into controversial flight paths. Since last year there has been disturbance, upset and anger for miles around Gatwick, from increased aircraft noise, narrowed and altered flight paths. In August Gatwick’s Chairman, Sir Roy McNulty, commissioned an “independent review” of air traffic, which will focus on Westerly Arrivals. It is led by Bo Redeborn, who for many years was Principal Director of ATM for EUROCONTROL. Local group Gatwick Obviously Not had threatened to ‘step up its campaign further’ if ‘substantial concerns’ about the terms initially proposed by the airport were not addressed. These included doubts about the transparency and impartiality of the process, its failure to consider both easterly and westerly arrivals and, crucially, the absence of ‘a fair and equitable dispersal’ policy. Now meetings have left campaigners optimistic that the process could be helpful. The review's terms of reference have been altered, to include an assurance that "the review team will give particular attention to assessing the feasibility and implications of adopting a policy of fair and equitable dispersal' which a number of campaign groups have expressed as a priority."
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New Heathrow runway would mean at least half those affected by noise would only get 4 hours respite per day
At the evidence session of the Environmental Audit Committee on the environmental impacts of a 3rd Heathrow runway, Daniel Moylan - who is the chief aviation advisor to the Mayor, Boris Johnson, gave evidence. He said a huge number of people under Heathrow flight paths would find their period of respite from the noise reduced, from around half the day (taken as 8 hours, 7am to 11pm) now to just a quarter of the day (ie. 4 hours). His words: "Davies admits that the respite period would on average fall to a third of the flying day rather than half at the moment. But our analysis shows that while that figure of a third, as an average, is about right, for some communities, for over half the communities, this will fall to 25% of the day only. And for the others it will be 50%. So the 30% is an average, and includes 50% of the affected population - a larger population - having only 25% of the flying day as respite....That is something people are not aware of that is coming down the road at them." Currently for approaches, the airport operates runway alternation, so (with some exceptions) planes land on just one of the runways for half a day, changing to the other at 3pm each day. That gives about half a day of respite. If there is a new runway, this would have to be used in mixed mode, for landings and take offs. Half a day of respite would not be possible.
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John Redwood MP writes to Heathrow & NATS asking for flight paths to revert to earlier pattern
John Redwood, the MP for Wokingham - about 20 km west of Heathrow - has written to Heathrow, to NATS and to Wokingham Council, about the impact of Heathrow aircraft noise on his constituency. He says: "Last year, NATS began experimenting with new trial routes to Heathrow. These were discontinued early as a result of the new noise levels, which were intolerable. However, the routes did not revert to the old pattern. What seems to happen now is a concentration of all flights in narrow corridors instead of spreading them out, creating air motorways over my constituency which cause big disturbance and unhappiness. As a result, this issue has become very contentious locally. It would be better if NATS could go back to the system operated prior to last year’s ill-conceived experiments. This would help to reduce the concentrated noise." He says to the Council: "I think it is important for the council to be aware that this issue is very contentious locally and become more so in recent months. It appears that there is now a concentration of flights in narrow corridors instead of spreading them out, creating air motorways over the local area which cause big disturbance and unhappiness." He says it "would also be helpful if planes entering and departing Heathrow adopted a steeper take-off and landing approach to enable them to fly higher." He has expressed guarded support for the idea of another runway in the past.
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CAA data show nearly 6,000 more people in Heathrow’s 57 Leq loud noise contour in 2014 than in 2013
The Evening Standard reports that recent CAA data show that over 270,000 people - a 13-year high - suffered from the sound of Heathrow planes overhead last year, which was a rise of nearly 6,000 on 2013. This was also the highest number affected by noise since 2001. In theory, planes are supposed to be getting marginally less noisy, as new models slowly replace older ones. But as planes get ever larger, they are noisier than smaller planes they replace - and these planes are perceived to fly lower. The figures may indicate that Heathrow's claims it can add a runway and even reduce total noise are not credible. The Airports Commission is likely to have been over-optimistic in presuming that would be possible. London’s population is growing and the CAA analysis shows the number of people suffering noise, using the Government’s preferred measurement, the 57 Leq noise contour, from Heathrow planes rose from around 264,250 to over 270,000 people, though the size of the contour fell from 107.3 km sq to 104.9 km sq. The numbers within the 57 Leq contour fell from 1988 to 2001, but this trend failed to continue over the following years.
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Leaders of Hillingdon, Richmond and Wandsworth councils tell PM that flight path consultation must precede Government’s runway support
The leaders of Hillingdon, Richmond & Wandsworth councils have written to the Prime Minister to warn that signalling Government support for a 3rd Heathrow runway would be unlawful unless the new flight paths needed re first subject to public consultation. The leaders also highlight a series of flaws and omissions in the Airports Commission's final report, that recommends a Heathrow runway. They point out that by law, changes to London's airspace require open consultation. Therefore a decision to expand Heathrow would pre-empt this statutory process. Approving a runway clearly infers the associated flight paths will also be approved. The Airports Commission, though working on Heathrow's plans for 2 years, failed to identify the location of its new flight paths, let alone consult on them. Instead the Commission's final report, which costs tax payers in the region of £25m, asks ministers to approve a 3rd Heathrow runway with no details at all on where flight paths would be. That is key information, needed to assess the areas to be worst affected. The local councils have now pointed out that the Commission's recommendation is directing the Government down a legal cul-de-sac and has urged the PM to dismiss the report.