Government Ignored Heathrow Noise Issues: Councils
Claims have emerged that the British government ignored the effects produced by certain aircraft landing at London Heathrow Airport very early in the morning when the most up-to-date flight protocol for the hub was put in place.
A trio of councils – Richmond and Wandsworth (London), and Windsor & Maidenhead (Berkshire) - are attempting to use the legal system to urge the DfT (Department of Transport) to rethink the aircraft types permitted to land at Heathrow before 6.00am, as well as their frequency.
The DfT has said that its new regime was implemented after “extensive” discussions with the public.
Early Arrivals
Lawyers representing these councils accused the department of not acting in light of a 2005 discovery that some airliners/cargo aircraft arriving at Heathrow in the early hours had been incorrectly categorised in terms of the noise they produced.
Douglas Alexander, former Transport Secretary, "failed to address the statutory test of the effect of aircraft noise or, if he did address it, did so in an irrational and disproportionate manner and contrary to his own policies", counsel for the local authorities, David Smith, stated.
The law, he added, demanded equilibrium between society’s interests, and those of the individual.
Boeing 747 Noise Classification
Mr Justice Sullivan, judge, was told today that the Boeing 747-400 – the principal aircraft involved in Heathrow’s early morning slots – had been incorrectly classified according to its noise.
The councils contested, on this basis, that the government had not acted to protect those living in the Heathrow area from inordinate noise.
Heathrow Arrivals
Every morning, around 16 aircraft arrive at Heathrow in a one-and-a-half hour slot starting at 4.30am.
A number of other councils are backing the three leading the court challenge, while all belong to the anti-Heathrow expansion 2M Group.
Source – Airport International’s London Reporter
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