The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

138 Mayor of London
The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
staff have immediate access to noise and track keeping data, which can
identify specific noise events. Relevant data should be made readily
available to those with a valid interest or concern, subject only to practical
and security considerations. Some local authorities provide a service for
local aircraft noise complaints, in addition to their general noise nuisance
services. The patterns of complaints are regularly scrutinised through the
airport consultative committees.
4C.41 One of the problems with the published L Aeq 16 hour
aircraft noise contours is
that they are being used for purposes for which they are not suitable. They
reduce a complex series of events to a single figure, which is useful for
planning, summary trends and other purposes. However, despite published
caveats, people can interpret the 57 contour as implying that people
outside it should not notice aircraft at all. In fact, a proportion of people
are annoyed at lower levels of aircraft noise. The contours only give a
generalised long term indication of overall noise energy. Particularly when
they are choosing where to live, people may want to know how many
aircraft are likely to fly over, and at what times, including whether there
are regular periods of respite. In the case of roads, railways and many other
noise sources, the physical presence of infrastructure in the vicinity of a
house may alert a buyer, while aircraft may not be using a relevant
flightpath when buyers inspect. Better information on the probability of
overflight could also be useful when people are visiting historic parks or
gardens, nature reserves, or making other plans for open air activity.
4C.42 There are likely to be advantages in providing more information about
aircraft noise in everyday language, such as where flightpaths normally are,
and numbers of aircraft during particular times of the day. Radar plots can
indicate where aircraft flightpaths are concentrated. However, they do not
indicate how audible aircraft are likely to be in a given location. Also, the
time of day in which people are most interested may vary depending on
their activity patterns. The Australian Government has published papers
assessing alternative forms of information. 37 The information people want
may be simple, but analysing and presenting it in fully customised ways,
such as through interactive websites may require considerable resources.
What information people would find most useful, for what purposes, and
through what delivery channels, needs to be examined.
policy 48
The Mayor will urge the Government to examine how people use different
types of aircraft noise information for different purposes, and how
relevant data, such as on flightpaths, can be made readily available,
subject to practical and security considerations. A study should assess
what forms of communication would be more transparent and inclusive,
and what arrangements for preparation, publication and independent