Lack of Alternation Leaves West London Reeling
On 9th September BAA began maintenance work, due to last 10 weeks, on the northern runway at Heathrow. It means that no planes can take off from the runway. So all planes are landing on the northern runway and taking off from the southern runway. That, in turn, means that people in West London living under the northern flight path get planes all day long. In normal circumstances planes switch runways at 3 pm (‘runway alternation’) to give residents a half day’s break from the noise.
Complaints from residents are pouring in to campaign group HACAN ClearSkies about constant aircraft noise since BAA suspended runway alternation five weeks ago in order to carry out maintenance work on the northern runway. The work is expected to take another five weeks.
It means that people in West London living under the northern flight path are getting over 600 planes a day passing over their homes at the rate of one every ninety seconds.
HACAN Chair John Stewart said, “Half way through the maintenance works residents under the northern flight path are reeling under the noise. Complaints to us are up five-fold. It’s like living under a sky of sound. And yet this could be a terrible taste of the future if the Government gets its way and abolishes with runway alternation”.
Later this year or early in the New Year the Department for Transport is expected to consult on proposals to end runway alternation. That would end the practice where planes switch runways at 3 pm to give residents a half day’s break from the noise. It would also smash through the cap, imposed by the Government when it gave the go-ahead for Terminal 5, of 480,000 planes per year to be allowed to use Heathrow. Plane numbers could be expected to rise to well over 500,000 each year.
ENDS
For further information contact John Stewart on 0207 737 6641 or 07957385650