Night-flights fight goes on

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
30/05/2008

The fight against noisy night flights goes on after Hammersmith and Fulham Council asked the Government to clarify its attitude on aircraft noise.

The council made the request after the High Court ruled that the Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, was under no obligation to improve conditions for residents woken up by early morning arrivals at Heathrow.

In a judicial review on May 20 a group of 2M councils, who campaign against uncontrolled Heathrow expansion, claimed that the Transport Secretary had acted unlawfully in failing to address concerns over the misclassification of aircraft arriving at Heathrow before 6am.

The Government, according to the councils' case, “ignored its own policy directive which requires it to bear down on noise.” Mr Justice Sullivan heard that the Boeing 747-400 RR – the main aircraft used by airlines flying into Heathrow at night – had been wrongly classified at too low a noise level. The councils argued that by not acting on the discrepancy, the government had failed to protect residents from excessive noise at night. 

There are around 16 early morning arrivals every day between 4:30am and 6am, half of which had been placed in the wrong noise category, the councils contended. If they had been correctly classified, they would not have been able to fly.

The government argued that because their assessment of the night flights scheme pooled noise data over three London airports, it did not have to take specific action on the Heathrow problem.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council Deputy Leader, Councillor Nicholas Botterill, said: “Fulham residents struggling to get a decent night’s sleep will be astonished to learn that, provided the numbers stack up at Gatwick and Stansted, ministers do not have to do anything about night-noise at Heathrow.”

“It will be difficult now for residents to have any confidence that Ministers will make a proper assessment of the environmental impact of Heathrow expansion.”

The local authorities argued that actual noise levels for all the early morning arrivals even breached the limit of 87 decibels set for departures. They said that if the Government’s aim was to protect residents from excessive noise, it should have acted on this discrepancy.

Cllr Botterill added: “The fight goes on. The Government needs to clarify whether its priority is to protect the interests of residents or the airline companies. Until then, we are calling for a complete ban on night-flights. This is about our quality of life and we are determined to end this continuing noise misery in Fulham and beyond.”

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is a member of the 2M Group, which campaigns against uncontrolled Heathrow expansion. For more information visit www.2MGroup.org.uk