Putney residents condemn night flight increases

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at last nights public meeting with the Council & HACAN

More than 250 people packed in to a Putney church hall last night to express their opposition to Government plans for more night flights.

The council had called the meeting to explain the impact of the proposals which would mean an increase from 16 to 18 in the number of flights landing before 6am.

Council leader Edward Lister warned residents to expect even more flights if the Government went ahead with legislation in the Civil Aviation Bill to remove the current cap on movements.

Cllr Lister went on to spell out the grounds for the council's latest High Court challenge to the night flight regulations:

"We are trying to protect the quality of life for our residents. Having studied the proposals we simply do not believe the Government is behaving rationally.


"The Government admits that the true noise level of the current early morning flights is understated by 74 per cent - but it does nothing to address this. It has the same system of night controls for three London airports - yet 90 per cent of the people affected live under the Heathrow flightpath.

"It offers no definition of what it means by 'excessive noise' - making it impossible for anyone to judge whether the current controls strike the right balance.It continues to average out noise from aircraft throughout a six and a half hour night period - even though all the planes land in a 90 minute slot between 4.30am and 6am.

"And it continues to claim that these 16 flights bring the country essential economic benefits - but it does not tell us what they are and it does not tell us how they have been weighed against the environmental impact and damage to health."

Cllr Lister reminded residents that the current numbers limit had been imposed by the courts in 1994. He said that the pressure of public opinion combined with legal action and parliamentary lobbying could force the Government to back down.

He concluded by urging residents to send their own observations to the Transport Secretary Alistair Darling before the September 16 deadline.

A second public meeting is being held in Battersea tonight at Belleville School, Webb's Road - starting at 7.30pm.

People attending the Putney meeting took away hundreds of postcards addressed to Alistair Darling urging him not to allow any increase in night flights. Supplies of the postcard will also be available at tonight's meeting.

Concerned residents can also send their views now online from this page. Click here to compose your night flights message to Mr Darling.

The deadline for responses to the Department of Transport is September 16.
                                  

September 8, 2005