Category: Reports

HACAN ClearSkies produces reports to influence the aviation debate.

RESPITE REPORT PUBLISHED

 Respite Report launched

Heathrow published its long-awaited respite report commissioned from Anderson Acoustics on 16th February 2017.  It is the first of its kind to be done.  HACAN was part of the steering group.  Summary video: https://youtu.be/7Z5mt7rKJgA .

Where to find the reports: https://www.heathrow.com/noise/making-heathrow-quieter/respite-research

Most people favour respite

Heathrow’s consultation on the principles it should use in designing its new flight paths showed most people backed respite.  54% wanted the priority to be respite even if that increased the total number overflown; 25% wanted the priority to be to prevent new areas being overflown (that included most respondents not currently overflown); any only 22% backed minimising the total number overflown by concentrating all the flights over certain areas.  (Some backed more than one option which is why the don;t add up to 100%).

You can reading about further findings here:   https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/95fcb6e4-d297-4678-9a08-3a819f0529d9

Aircraft noise and health – some studies

 

 

New World Health Organisation Guidelines (2018) tougher on aircraft noise

The new noise guidelines from the World Health Organisation, published 10th October 2018, are tougher on aircraft noise than previously.

Recommended Limits

Road                            53Lden                        45Lnight

 Rail                              54Lden                        44Lnight

 Aircraft                      45Len                          40Lnight

 Wind Turbines      45Lden         no recommendation

Our view this a strong message to Heathrow as it develops its new flight paths that aircraft noise problems are not confined to areas close to the airport.  The guidelines indicate that aircraft noise can affect the health of people living well over 20 miles from Heathrow.  They are of course just guidelines, not intended to be implemented overnight, whose main purpose is to indicate the levels at which noise can become a health problem.

For more details, see the HACAN press release:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/WHO-new-noise-guidelines-Press-Release-1.pdf 

WHOreport: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/383921/noise-guidelines-eng.pdf?ua=1

HACAN’s plain person’s guide to the WHO report: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Plain-Persons-Guide-to-WHO-report-1.pdf

A good overview of noise and health research:   Aircraft Noise and Public Health the evidence is loud and clear final reportONLINE

 And here is the summary: AEF_aircraft noise and health_FINAL3

HYENA-study-712 – this study by Imperial College assed the impact of night flights on the health of people living around a number of European airports, including Heathrow

http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5432:  A study of aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport finds the risk of heart problems are much higher for people living under noisy flight paths

Night Noise Guidelines for Europe:  Produced by the World Health Organisation in 2009.  These have been updated in 2018 – see above.

Night noise factsheet

 

Aircraft Noise: a problem in Sevenoaks?

Sevenoaks has an aircraft noise problem? It is 31 miles from Heathrow; 18 miles from Gatwick. Only the smaller Biggin Hill Airport is relatively close to the Kent town, 8 miles away. When HACAN received these comments we decided to investigate the situation: “Couldn’t possibly happen in Sevenoaks could it? Oh, it already is!” “Just another lovely day under all the Heathrow and Gatwick flight paths in Kent – what an absolute shame” “Never felt like this before – actually thought I was going to have a heart attack with all of the planes today and yesterday…. not good” Read on…..http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Sevenoaks-Snapshot-1.pdf

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

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

HACAN launches major new flight paths study

Today HACAN 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, revealed a dramatic increase in flight numbers over parts 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

Respite Report Published

Heathrow published its long-awaited respite report commissioned from Anderson Acoustics on 16th February.  It is the first of its kind to be done.  HACAN was part of the steering group.  And later work carried out by Heathrow showed 54% people backed respite even it it increased the number of people overflown. Only 22% would back concentrating all the flight paths over particular areas. 

Summary video: https://youtu.be/7Z5mt7rKJgA .

Where to find the reports: https://www.heathrow.com/noise/making-heathrow-quieter/respite-research

Heathrow’s consultation on the principles it should use in designing its new flight paths, released later in the year, showed most people backed respite   54% wanted the priority to be respite even if that increased the total number overflown; 25% wanted the priority to be to prevent new areas being overflown (that included most respondents not currently overflown); any only 22% backed minimising the total number overflown by concentrating all the flights over certain areas.  (Some backed more than one option which is why the don’t add up to 100%).

You can reading about further findings here:   https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/95fcb6e4-d297-4678-9a08-3a819f0529d9