Airlines being made to look for ways to make Gatwick quieter
Will New Rules Mean a Quieter Life for Those on Flightpath?
6th April 2016 – Crawley News
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Chris Ballinger
chris.ballinger@crawleynews.co.uk
Commitment: Gatwick bosses have agreed to implement measure to reduce noise
Residents disturbed by the noise of planes landing at Gatwick Airport will get some respite soon after wide-ranging measures to reduce the impact were agreed.
Gatwick bosses have committed to taking action on all 23 recommendations put forward by the Independent Arrivals Review in a report earlier this year after an increase in complaints about noise.
A priority is for the airport to incentivise airlines to modify Airbus 320 planes which cause a “high pitch whine” on landing. Others are to keep aircraft higher for longer and to use continuous descent arrivals (CDAs), where planes glide in to land rather than use their engines.
Liz Bowie, who has lived in Forge Wood since October, says the planes are a lot noisier than she anticipated and she wants the measures to improve the quality of life for locals.
The 55-year-old, from Somerley Drive, said: “When we bought our house here we didn’t think the noise would be as bad as it is. “If we have the window open the noise of the planes stops us from
getting to sleep at night and I’ve been woken up at 4, 5 and 6am. “We have a problem with planes both taking off and landing. If these measures reduce the amount of noise we have to put up with, then it wilt make life a lot better for everyone living at Forge Wood.”
Gatwick has been told to not allow unmodified Airbus 320 aircraft to use the airport after December 31, 2017.
Recommendation
Another key recommendation in the review is for an independent noise management board to be created, including representatives from people living near the airport, to hold the airport to account.
Gatwick Airport chairman Sir Roy McNulty believes the noise review has been “very constructive”. He said: “I believe that in aggregate the actions will make a significant difference. We are keen to establish the independent noise management board recommended as soon as possible.
Gatwick is committed to making the board a successful and effective influence.” Sir Roy added that there is strong backing for Bo Redeborn, who led the arrivals review, to be the first chair of the board.
Mr Redeborn said: “There is clearly a good deal of work to be done to bring this about [putting the recommendations into practice] and I am very pleased to have been proposed to be chairman.
“In that role, one of the first things I would be doing is to monitor how Gatwick, and other stakeholders who contributed to this review, implement the recommendations that have been accepted.”
A public consultation on how Gatwick plans to carry out the measures is open until May 16.