New Poll reveals mixed views on 3rd runway

A new poll from Populus, commissioned by Heathrow and released by them on 21st September,  reveals mixed views on the third runway. 50% of people in the 15 local authority areas closest to the airport backed a new runway, with 32% opposed. The results are not dissimilar to the ones the polling company, Populus, has carried out over the years.  HACAN has been critical of the methodology Populus use and took legal advice on challenging them.  The lawyers felt that Populus were not doing anything illegal although some of their questions bordered on being leading questions.  With that in mind support for a 3rd runway may be few percentage points lower than they claim but their broad findings are consistent with other polls.

 Here is the link to the full poll:  https://www.populus.co.uk/poll/heathrow-airport-poll/ . 

South East London – No Respite from aircraft noise

HACAN today is pleased to publish an important report by Forest Hill resident Tim Walker outlining what happens when London City and Heathrow flights combine to create community noise hotspots in south east London

Using London SE23 as an example, the paper aims to make clear to policymakers, campaigners and the two airports what the problems for communities are with the introduction of concentrated flight paths (City Airport) and separate development of the two London airport flight paths.

Noise from arriving London City Airport aircraft combined with departing and arriving Heathrow aircraft blights thousands of south east London homes, with no respite.

City Airport’s low altitude air superhighways, beginning in Feb 2016, have resulted in a perfect storm of aircraft noise for many SE London residents.

Respite means scheduled relief from aircraft noise for a period of time. There are community noise hotspots in SE London that receive no respite from 6.30am to 10pm nearly every day of the year.

Read the full report:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/No-aircraft-noise-respite-for-London-SE23-August-2018-1.pdf

Big majority of MPs back 3rd Runway

The Government got a majority of 296 after the debate in Parliament last night (25th June) on a third runway.  It now officially becomes Government policy.In total 415 MPs backed it; 119 opposed.  119 Labour MPs backed it; 94 opposed (Labour MPs were given a free vote).  The Conservatives imposed a 3 line whip: 8 MPs defied the whip and voted against: Justine Greening, Greg Hands, Adam Afriyie, Sir David Amess, Bob Blackman, Zac Goldsmith, Matthew Offord and Theresa Villiers.  The SNP abstained on the grounds that the guarantees of more flights to Scotland weren’t firm enough.

What happens now:

The local authorities, backed by the Mayor of London and Greenpeace, are preparing a legal challenge. They have six weeks to submit it.  Heathrow Hub will also mount a legal challenge.  The courts would be expected to hear the cases in the autumn.

Heathrow will start drawing up its detailed plans for the new runway.  This is part of the DCO (Development Consent Order) process.  These plans will be consulted next year with a view to going before a Planning Inquiry in 2020.  Heathrow would be looking to get final permission in 2021, with a view to opening the new runway in 2025.

HACAN initial reaction:

  • The majority was a little higher than expected.  We had been expecting majority of around 250.
  • With a majority of 296 the Government will feel they have a strong mandate to build the runway.
  • There has been little change in the position of MPs over the last two years.  In 2016 (in advance of the Government’s autumn 2016 announcement of its preferred runway option) HACAN spent £10,000 lobbying MPs.  The indications then were that just over 300 MPs would back a third runway.
  • Heathrow will be relieved that more Labour MPs backed a third runway than opposed, lessening their fears that a Corbyn Government would be able to overturn the decision
  • The SNP played it very cleverly.  They knew it would be safe to abstain as the third runway, which they back, would go through but by abstaining retained their position of never having voted with the Conservatives since 1979 (important for public consumption in Scotland) and put pressure on the Government to firm up the guarantees to Scotland on flight numbers.
  • The Government and Heathrow will be under pressure to deliver on the conditions (such as a tougher night flight ban; respite for more communities) which may be made more stringent during the DCO process.  This was repeatedly mentioned by MPs both for and against a third runway in the debate and the lack of firmer guarantees was the reason why Lilian Greenwood, the respected chair of the Transport Select Committee, voted against the Government.
  • There remain doubts if Heathrow can overcome sheer logistics involved building the new runway

Cabinet backs 3rd Runway, with link to full National Policy Statement

The Cabinet backed a 3rd runway at Heathrow on 5th June 2018.  Parliament will now vote on the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) – see link in full post plus link to Government response to Transport Select Committee Report on the NPS – which contains the plans for a third runway, within 21 days.  If it supports the new runway, it becomes Government policy, though some local authorities are expected to challenge the decision in the courts.

DfT Summary of the NPS:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/713661/proposed-expansion-of-heathrow-summary.pdf

Chris Grayling’s Statement to Parliament:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/proposed-heathrow-expansion

On the same day, the Government published its detailed response to the Transport Select Committee’s report on the NPS:  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/713654/government-response-to-the-transport-committee-report-on-the-revised-draft-airports-nps-web-version.pdf

HACAN, along with Campaign for Better Transport, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, produced this short report arguing that the 3rd runway doesn’t meet Labour’s four tests:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Labours-four-tests-1.pdf

SONA Study: major new CAA study on levels when aircraft noise annoys people

When people get annoyed by noise

The findings of the new HACAN study are supported by SONA, a study the Government commissioned from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA): Survey of Noise Attitudes 2014. SONA found that people start to get annoyed by aircraft noise at lower levels than previously officially recognised.  This is reflected now in the Government’s Airspace Strategy which recognised that people can get annoyed by aircraft noise when it averages out over a 16 hour day at 54 decibels.  Previously government argued it was57 decibels. Some people get annoyed at even lower levels.

The chart above, taken from the study, compares the results of the Government sponsored 1982 ANIS Study with the new SONA study.  SONA found  9% of people are highly annoyed when the average is 54 decibels.  In geographical terms around Heathrow that goes as far as about Clapham to the east and about 16 miles to the west: about 65,000 people in total.  The lower average of 51% extends about as far as Peckham.

The full study  http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP%201506%20FEB17.pdf

South East London Study

HACAN launches major new study

Today (3rd April) HACAN has launched a major new study which reveals the extent of the aircraft noise problem in South East London.  Corridors of Concentration, published in conjunction with Plane Hell Action, a local group based in SE London,  has revealed a dramatic increase in the number of flights over many areas of South East London in recent years.  It also found that flight paths have become more concentrated.

Over a dozen areas from Clapham Common in the west to Greenwich in the east were surveyed.  The number of aircraft audible from each location was recorded.  Key counts were verified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The overall number of flights is much the same as when we last surveyed the area 10 years ago but this masks significant changes in certain places.  Particularly dramatic was the increase in the number of flights in the far east of the region has increased dramatically: daily flights in the Brockley corridor grew by 135 between 2011 and 2017; Greenwich saw an increase of 165 a day.

The study concluded many more planes are joining their final approach corridors further east than before and are more concentrated within those corridors.   

Read the study:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Corridors-of-Concentration-Report-1.pdf

Numbers impacted by a third runway

The Select Committee were right to call on the Department for Transport to come up new estimates of how many people would be impacted by a third runway using the most up-to-date contours.  At present, as I indicate below, it is very messy.

Contours

Contours are created by averaging the noise out over a 16 hour day.  Until very recently, the Government argued that the 57 decibel contour marked ‘the onset of community annoyance’.  Following the SONA report it commissioned from the CAA, this has been revised down to a 54 and 51 contour.  The Guardian report was based on the numbers in a 45 contour (which has not been used before and is lower than the WHO currently regards as problematic).

Percentage of population severely annoyed by aircraft noise

57 contour (approx 9 miles from Heathrow) 13%

54 contour (approx 13 miles)   9%

51 contour  (approx 17 miles)   7%

45 contour   (unknown, but probably over 25 miles) 2.5%

                            National Policy Statement 2017 

                                               (using the 54 decibel contour)

Without 3rd runway With 3rd runway Difference

2015 590,000

2030 560,000 650,000 + 92,700

2040 475,000 515,000 + 45,000

2050 430,000 475,000 + 45,000

The Transport Select Committee Report 2018 found thatif  the 51 decibel contour was used the total number of people in the noise annoyance footprint in 2030 with a third runway in place would be 1.15 million.

The Guardian article reflects the number of people who would be impacted with a 3rd runway in place using a 45 decibel contour.  The number would be 2.2 million in 2050.  

The Department for Transport put out this statement yesterday to confirm itThe figures referenced include everyone that will experience any change in noise level, including those below the Lowest Observed Adverse Effects Level of 51dB LAeq and even those below 45dB LAeq.  

What we lack are figures about how many people currently live within the 45 or 51 decibel contours or how many would in 2030 and 2050 if a 3rd runway is not built.  This means no comparisons can be made.  Almost certainly, though, the numbers currently within a 45 decibel contour will be over 1.5 million. 

by John Stewart

Adventures on night trains

It would be a pity if night trains in Europe disappeared.  It would reduce choice for travellers.  That is why the week of action starting today organised by Train Tracks Europe – https://back-on-track.eu/action-week-april-2018/ – is important.  The campaign seeks to preserve the remaining night trains and bring back many of those which have been withdrawn in recent years.

Night trains may not be everybody’s cup of tea – and in fact on one or two nobody got a cup of tea! – but I’ll miss them if they go.  And perhaps more to the point, they will reduce my options for getting across Europe and not just for going on holiday for attending business meetings.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever used them on holiday.  But that’s just because I’m a lazy holiday-maker.  If you can’t get a tiny bit of luxury, a comfortable bed in a nice hotel on holiday, when can you get it?  Out with campsites, back-to-nature, do-it-yourself hostels and anything with Airbnb in the title!

But I digress.  Night trains have worked for me when going to meetings and conferences in Europe.  Take Barcelona.  I was invited to speak at a mid-morning press conference by a group of residents living under the flight path to Barcelona airport.  Left London on Eurostar late afternoon, change in Paris; in Barcelona for breakfast.  Admittedly my hosts struggled to welcome me:  they were so unused to somebody arriving by train from London that they went to the wrong station!

Press conference, a long lingering Spanish lunch by the beach, a stroll down Las Ramblas, onto the night train, checked my emails in Paris back at my desk in London mid-morning.

But my overnight trip to Vienna beats that.  I made £5,000 whilst on the train.

by John Stewart