Noise News
Below are links to stories about noise in relation to airports and aviation.
Noise pollution fears over plans to extend Southampton Airport’s runway
Southampton Airport has plans for a 450 ft runway extension, that would enable larger and heavier planes to take off and land at the airport. However, this may not only increase the noise per plane, from heavier aircraft, but also the number of planes and passengers. Some local residents, living under flight paths, are concerned about the noise implications. A resident from Bitterne Park Residents’ Association, said she had only been told that the starter strip was to make taking off and landing safer at the terminal and questioned whether extending the runway was permitted. The airport's managing director said of the runway extension: “We are talking about a starter strip adding up to 150 metres to the existing runway, which is currently just over 1,700 metres, so it would be under 10% longer. We would like to see this in the next 10 years and before a major new runway is built elsewhere in the south east. I would anticipate this could be within 5 to 10 years." He said the investment in the extension "would not mean extra costs for passengers" and there would be no change to restrictions on operating hours at the airport.
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Doubt about the Gatwick scheme to pay off residents affected by noise from 2nd runway
Gatwick has offered, as part of its PR offensive to try to get opinion behind its 2nd runway, to pay £1,000 per year (the council tax on a Band A property) to 4,100 houses worst affected by noise, if it gets its runway. This is a very paltry sum compared to the negative impacts of the noise and disruption that would be caused. A local resident commented on the plan: "This is just a publicity stunt to try to get Crawley residents on board for a new runway. ....It sounds generous until you look at who gets it and how much we would lose....Even if we got the grant, it would take 150 years for the grant to cover the loss of value of our house. .... Gatwick Airport is trying to kid us that a new runway means lots of jobs for Crawley residents – but the jobs would attract incomers from the UK and the EU who would need new houses in an area that is desperately short of affordable homes.....We existing residents would see our carefully planned country town double in size to become a sprawling city spreading over green countryside..... I hope nobody will be fooled by Gatwick’s offer or by their promises of a golden future for Crawley.”
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London aircraft noise summit increases pressure for independent aircraft noise ombudsman
The group, "Let Britain Fly" organised an "aircraft noise seminar" in order to get together various speakers to discuss the issue, and the possible establishment of an independent aircraft noise ombudsman (ANO). The summit hoped to call all political parties to create the new role, in order to try to protect the welfare of people living near airports and under flight paths. During autumn, the business group London First, advocated the appointment of the watchdog body, and the Airports Commission recommended it, in their interim report in December. Campaigners at Heathrow - where there is the largest aircraft noise problem - are hopeful that there may now be a new initiative, that can help break the noise deadlock. Other campaigners at airports with different noise problems have serious concerns about the ombudsman proposal, and fear that the creation of an independent noise ombudsman might be used as a means of paving the way for airport expansion, by defusing opposition. They would back a watchdog, provided he has real powers to set and enforce standards. What people who are overflown - and troubled by plane noise - want is for less noise. Not just liaison, consultation, action plans and empty promises.
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Letter to Guardian from Heathrow critics & supporters asking for aircraft noise ombudsman
The noise from planes using Heathrow airport is a huge issue, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Noise at other airports is equally a serious problem for those affected. Over decades, local communities have had little reason to trust the airports and the authorities (a recent example being the unannounced flight path trial over Warnham, from Gatwick). Aircraft noise is considered to be an unfortunate side effect of the alleged benefits of a growing aviation sector, with those affected being necessary "collateral damage" of this industry. The Airports Commission, in its interim report in December, recommended the setting up of an independent noise authority which would be able to deal with noise issues. Now a letter, supporting the establishment of an Ombudsman, has been sent to the Guardian, signed by a long list of notable people, including many opponents of a 3rd Heathrow runway. The letter hopes the Ombudsman may establish more "trust and confidence." However, no amount of liaison, consultation etc will actually make the amount of noise diminish, which is what most people who suffer from aircraft noise actually want. There are fears that the new body will be “long grass into which difficult issues could be consigned.”
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Gatwick offers to pay households for noise of 2nd runway – dismissed by opponents as a “very small bribe”
Gatwick airport is on a PR and charm offensive to try to get support for a 2nd runway. This has been somewhat upset over the past two weeks by the impact on the village of Warnham of an unannounced flight path trial. Now Gatwick airport may have been rushed into making the offer of £1,000 per year to "all households most affected" by noise from a 2nd runway. The airport says would be equivalent to Band A Council Tax (currently £1000). Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said the cash would help negate some of the impact. The airport estimate that 4,100 households would qualify for the money by 2040, using the discredited 57 decibel contour. In reality, the 57dB contour does not accurately reflect the areas where noise is annoying or causes disturbance - even the 54dB contour, as used in Europe, is an inaccurate measure. Many thousands more people - perhaps 48,000 - would need to be compensated if the 54dB contour was used. The £1,000 is a derisory figure, not even slightly compensating for loss of house value, or for loss of local amenity and quality of life. This is a very small bribe.
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Villages up in arms as new Gatwick “ADNID” flight path shatters their peace and quiet
The Sunday Times has featured the story of the misery and upset being caused over villages in Sussex by a new trial flight path from Gatwick. The village of Warnham is particularly affected. It is a quiet village, but now has planes taking off from Gatwick thundering overhead. Some of the affected residents are the mother-in-law of Boris Johnson, who said who say the noise is so loud that it sets off baby monitors and drowns out the sound of local church bells. Also Caroline Lucas, whose family owns the 215-acre Warnham Park, with a large herd of red deer, said: “How long will future generations stay here? That’s the question you have to ask.” The 6 month trial, of which there was no notice given to local residents, is of a new departure route for planes mainly bound for southern Europe, which are now turning south earlier than they normally do. The airport says the trial is to find out if a new aircraft navigation system will allow air traffic controllers to reduce the interval between flights taking off from two minutes to one, potentially allowing more flights to take off at peak times. ie. make Gatwick even busier than now.
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Francis Maude: Noise misery foreshadows Gatwick second runway
Francis Maude, MP for Horsham, has received a great number of letters and emails from distressed residents in Warnham and Rusper, in recent weeks, about the new flight path trial over them. They are saying they are being plagued by a constant stream of noisy aircraft taking off from Gatwick towards the west starting at 6am. Many people have complained directly to Gatwick Airport, the CAA and NATS - but have yet to be satisfied on a number of points. Most residents were not aware of any minimal consultation about the changes before they started. Francis Maude is asking for much more detail about the trials. These include on what criteria will the trial be assessed? Why does it need to continue for six months? and How is it being monitored? He says the misery currently being experienced by local residents foreshadows what would be a permanent feature of life in the area if a 2nd Gatwick runway were to be built. The amount of opposition to this trial suggests it is not being successful. Francis Maude says: "I have made my opposition to a second Gatwick runway many times in public and private, and am happy to reiterate this now."
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GACC calls for flight path trial to stop due to anger and outrage in the village of Warnham
A new flight path for take-offs from Gatwick airport has caused outrage in the parish of Warnham, near Horsham. Designed as a 6-month trial to enable more aircraft to take-off from the Gatwick runway it has already caused a wave of protest. A member of the GACC (Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign), Sally Pavey, who lives in Warnham, says: ‘The tranquillity of our 14th century, conservation village has been lost and we seem powerless to do anything about it. Everyone is up in arms as we are woken at 6.00 am with an aircraft overhead every few minutes. Living in Warnham has turned into a nightmare!’ GACC has called for the trial to be stopped. The new route is causing an unacceptable degree of upset and maximum anger. It is just a small foretaste of what is to come if a new runway were to be built. "With a new runway the new flight paths would bring anger and misery to perhaps 30 or more towns and villages. And that would be permanent, not just for 6 months. Warnham is a wake-up call for why we should all oppose a new runway.’
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Concerns about the effectiveness of a new aviation noise authority – and the public’s trust in it
In its interim report published on 17th December 2013, the Airports Commission recommended to government "... the establishment of an Independent Noise Authority to provide expert and impartial advice about the noise impacts of aviation and to facilitate the delivery of future improvements to airspace operations." GACC - the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign - has responded to this suggestion with a lot of caveats. GACC would welcome the authority if its main purpose is to reduce aircraft noise, but not if its main purpose is to persuade local residents to relax their opposition to a new runway at Gatwick. Residents want the noise to be reduced, not ‘mitigating’, and not ‘reducing the number of people affected’ if that means merely making noise worse for fewer people. . There have been years of unsatisfactory complaints mechanisms on aircraft noise, and also of broken assurances from the aviation industry. "A single point for complaints, an aircraft noise ombudsman with power to order improvement or compensation, would be welcome. But we do not see this in the recommendations of the Commission’s Interim Report." There are fears that the new body will be "long grass into which difficult issues could be consigned." A body designed to smooth the path of a new runway, whether at Gatwick or elsewhere would be vigorously opposed.
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Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign speaks up for the village of Warnham, suffering from an unannounced flight path trial
A new flight path has been introduced for aircraft taking off from Gatwick to the west, then turning left around Horsham. It passes directly over the village of Warnham and is apparently a trial designed in order to get more aircraft off the Gatwick runway. GACC (the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign) considers it intolerable that new misery and a decline in house values should be caused just to create extra profit for the owners of Gatwick. Normally there are 3 take off routes to the west, which are contained within compulsory Noise Preferential Route (NPR) corridors. The new route route departs from the NPR, particularly over Warnham, where it has caused consternation. The trial is a technical one not intended to measure the social impact and they did not announce it in advance so as not to provoke complaints that might not have emerged otherwise. The airport says because it is a trial it was not necessary to consult, as would be a legal requirement if the new route were to be permanent. GACC say there is no national need for this route change - Stansted airport is operating at less than half its capacity. People fear that this new route is a small fore-taste of the widespread misery and protest that would be created across Surrey and Sussex by a new runway.