Wandsworth Council has informed us that it is to seek urgent advice on the legality of new Government proposals that would increase the number of night flights over the borough.

A detailed report by the council's chief executive warns that the Government's latest consultation paper offers no hope of any reductions in noise disturbance for local people.

Ministers have ignored the defects in their own system for classifying aircraft noise and are taking no action to deal with the noisier type of jumbo jets which the council has already proved have been given too low a noise rating.

The report also notes that current noise monitoring of arriving aircraft is totally inadequate, which places huge question marks against Government claims to be basing noise arrangements on actual noise levels.

The report also warns that the proposed new Civil Aviation Bill could pave the way for all night operations meaning very large increases in aircraft arrivals at all times of the night.

Some of the most disturbing aspects of the new consultation paper include:

 

•  No proposal to rectify the misclassification of some aircraft in the now discredited noise rating system, which causes night noise experienced under the westerly arrival flight path to be 74 per cent above the proposed control level;

 

•  An attempt to justify the actual level of night noise being experienced, with the 74 per cent overload being deemed acceptable;

 

•  No recognition that an increase in night flight movements causes a deterioration in the noise climate and causes more sleep disturbance.

 

•  Extending the time horizon for the achievement of medium term objectives for environmental control from between 10 and 15 years to 30 years, offering no prospect of achieving acceptable World Health Organisation standards until 2035.

 

The council's report says that the pressure for extra early morning slots is being created by the additional capacity now being created by Heathrow's fifth terminal.

Council leader Edward Lister said: "The Government is bowing to the relentless demands of the aviation industry for more flights at whatever times suit them. Any attempt to meet environmental targets is being put off for 30 years. Ministers have shown with their failure to put in place adequate environmental safeguards that they are hopelessly biased towards the airlines.

"Anger at the cynicism of the current proposals is shared across many local authorities in south and west London . Wandsworth is urging residents to protest in  the strongest possible way.

"The council will do everything in its power to raise public awareness of the long term implications of what is being proposed. We will also work with allies in Parliament to oppose the relaxation of the movements limit.

 

"Ultimately however it is likely that only the courts can provide any protection against a climate of increasing disturbance from night flights. We will be exploring all the legal remedies to make sure these ill-conceived plans are abandoned."

 

The Department for Transport's consultation exercise concludes on Friday, September 16, 2005. A copy of the consultation paper can be obtained by telephoning (020) 7944 5796 and it can be viewed at www.aviation.dft.gov.uk . Comments can be registered online at that web address, emailed to nr-stagetwo.dft.gsi.gov.uk or sent in writing to Department for Transport, Aviation Division 4, Zone 1/34, Great Minster House, Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR.

 

Wandsworth Council has also organised two public meetings for local residents at the beginning of September. These will be held at:

 

•  Putney Methodist Church at 7.30pm on Wednesday, September 7. The church is located on the corner of Gwendolen Avenue and the Upper Richmond Road and the speakers include Cllr Lister and John Stewart of anti-airnoise group HACAN.

 

•  Belleville School , Webbs Road , Battersea, at 7.30pm on Thursday, September 8. Speakers at this meeting will include Wandsworth's chief executive Gerald Jones.

 

For more information about night flights and to see a full copy of the council's response to the consultation visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/aviation .