The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy Mayor of London 119
4C aircraft noise
4C.1 London’s central importance to the UK economy and status as a key world
city rests, in part, on its role as an ‘international gateway’. London’s
airports provide international access to the UK and the rest of Europe for
business, investors, and tourists. Continuing improvements in the
international services that London provides and better access to them are
essential if London is to retain and enhance its international
competitiveness. These issues are considered in the Mayor’s Transport
Strategy, London’s Economic Development Strategy, and the London Plan.
4C.2 Aircraft noise is a particularly difficult issue for London, given the location
of one of the world’s busiest airports, and a key UK global gateway, on its
western edge. With the prevailing wind direction from the west, this means
that most aircraft descending to land at Heathrow Airport approach over
the city. Aircraft using other airports, including outside the city, also pass
over London. Many Londoners are concerned about aircraft noise.
4C.3 Aviation presents some of the starkest tensions between environment and
economy. Solutions are not easily found. As an increasingly diverse and
globalised world city, London has been becoming more socially and
economically dependent on air transport. Londoners as well as visitors are
travelling more internationally. Of a UK total of 189 million air passengers
in 2002, 1 117 million used the London area airports (Heathrow, Gatwick,
Stansted, Luton and London City). Heathrow Airport is the largest airport
in the country, handling some 63 million passengers in 2002, along with
1.2 million tonnes of freight, most of it carried in the holds of passenger
aircraft. The Government has forecast 2 substantial continued growth in
demand, nationally and in the South East.
4C.4 Following a series of regional studies, including a South East and East of
England Regional Air Services Study 3 (see paragraphs 4C.56-7), the
Government published, in December 2003, a national Air Transport White
Paper providing a framework for the next 30 years. 4 Following a Public
Inquiry, the Secretary of State had approved, in November 2002, a
proposal for a fifth terminal at Heathrow allowing it to grow to
accommodate 90-95 million passengers per year or possibly more. The
Inquiry Inspector’s report raised a number of issues likely to remain
important to future policy. 5 The Secretary of State’s decision imposed a
limit of 480,000 flights per year, compared with 460,000 in 2000; and the
area contained within the Government’s ‘official’ 57 dB L Aeq 16 hour
contour
was not to exceed 145 square kilometres as from 2016. 6 The Air Transport
White Paper sets out Government support for further development of
Heathrow, including a new runway and additional terminal capacity, to be
delivered within the 2015-2020 period, if stringent environmental limits
can be met. The Government White Paper proposes that further