HACAN newsletter March 2010

Dear All,

In this Update, news of a new report we have published; the latest on the legal challenge; and a comment on the Government's proposal for high-speed rail.

John Stewart

New Report: Aircraft noise is no longer just a West London problem

A major study has been published by HACAN which outlines practical measures which would reduce aircraft noise for countless numbers of people living under the Heathrow arrivals flight paths. The study was commissioned in response to the increasing number of complaints about Heathrow noise HACAN received from people living many miles away from the airport and who used not to be affected. The study, carried out for HACAN by the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF), concentrated on those places some distance from Heathrow where aircraft noise has only become a serious problem in the last decade or so. During this time aircraft noise has steadily got worse in areas such as Vauxhall, Clapham, Brixton, South East London, Docklands, parts of North London and, to the west of the airport, places beyond Windsor. The report has identified the reasons why this has happened and suggests remedies. Some of these remedies, such as a steeper approach path, would also benefit areas closer to Heathrow. The report found that the major reason for the spread and increase of the noise lies in the fact that aircraft have started joining their final approach to Heathrow much further out than previously. For many years planes coming from the east used to start their final approach in West London in the Barnes area. But from 1996 onwards they increasingly have joined their final approach path many miles further east. This has resulted in a concentration of flights over areas such as Stockwell and Vauxhall - see the video further down this page. The report recommends three things: 1 the introduction of a steeper approach path (glideslope); 2 the introduction of curved CDA approaches; and 3 the Government reconsiders its policy of concentrating flight paths when aircraft are landing. The report did not look at take-offs.

Read the full report

Read the HACAN press release

High Court Challenge

The Judicial Review against the decision to give BAA permission to draw up plans for a 3rd Runway brought by a coalition of groups including HACAN started on 23rd February. The Hearing lasted three days. A decision is expected this month. A Judicial Review can only challenge the process by which the decision was arrived at. It cannot challenge the content of the decision. The judge has the option of squashing the decision but it would be a surprise if he did that. Unless he finds completely against us, he is more likely to restrict his judgement to key areas where he felt the process was flawed and require the Government to take action to remedy them.

Government's High-Speed Rail Scheme

HACAN has branded the Government's high-speed rail scheme 'an expensive white elephant'. HACAN argues that high-speed rail should be built instead of a third runway at Heathrow; not in addition to it. The Government scheme outlines a detailed route just as far as Birmingham. But it would only have the potential to create a significant switch from air to rail if it went as far as Scotland. In the past decade the air/rail share of the market to Scotland has been heavily weighted in favour of air. Until recently, when its market share has shown some improvement, rail has struggled to get over 12% of the market. By contrast, it has around two-thirds of the share of the market to Manchester and Newcastle.

The scheme was drawn up by a government-appointed quango, High Speed 2, headed up by Sir David Rowlands. Rowlands was Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport from 2003 until he retired in 2007. It was during his tenure as the top civil servant at the Department that the Air Transport White Paper came into place and the plans for a third runway at Heathrow were developed. Rowlands, his controversial attempt to join the Board of BAA on retirement having been blocked by the Government, is now the Chairman of Gatwick Airport.

Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats favour building a high-speed rail scheme to Scotland as an alternative to a third runway at Heathrow.