725,000 affected by aircraft noise at Heathrow (From Your Local Guardian)

725,000 affected by aircraft noise at Heathrow

7:50am Friday 19th June 2009 in

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BAA has admitted that more than double the number of people are affected by aircraft noise from Heathrow than it previously estimated, campaigners have claimed.

The air operator launched a 16-week consultation for its noise action plan this week, in which it said 725,500 residents were bothered by the sound of planes.

Campaign group Hacan, which is opposed to Heathrow expansion, said BAA and the Government previously averaged out noise across a 16-hour day, which found that 258,500 people lived inside the 57-decibel contour.

But the EU now requires separate measurements for day, evening and night, which are combined to get the average over a 24-hour period.

John Stewart, chairman of Hacan, said: “At long last BAA has been forced to creep into the real world and admit many more than 300,000 people are affected by aircraft noise. But even this is an underestimate.

The World Health Organisation estimates more than a million people are affected.”

BAA has invited communities to give feedback on how it plans to manage the impact of aircraft noise between 2010 and 2015.

Mike Brown, chief operating officer at Heathrow, said: “We have a good track record in noise management at Heathrow.

“For example, we introduced a voluntary agreement with airlines in the 1990s to stop the scheduling of the noisiest types of aircraft at night, which was adopted and formalised by the Government.

“We also offer lower landing charges for airlines that use their quietest aircraft at Heathrow.

Nevertheless, there is still more to do, and this document shows how BAA will engage with communities affected by aircraft noise, minimise noise impacts, influence planning policy and encourage airlines to use their quietest fleets.”

The noise action plan, which BAA hopes to publish early in 2010, will not consider any effects of a third runway, which will not be built before 2015.

BAA will hold three public sessions at the Heathrow Academy, in Newall Road, off the Northern Perimeter Road, on Monday, July 6, between 11am and 2pm, on Monday, August 3, between 2pm and 5pm, and on Wednesday, September 2, between 5pm and 10pm.

Residents wishing to take part in the consultation will also be able to access copies of the action plan and a questionnaire for feedback online or by calling the Heathrow community relations team on 020 8745 5791.