Monday, March 03, 2008

The Objectors Grow With Help from NATS - Wanstead Residents

Yet more opposition to the expansion of London City Airport and to NATS proposals of new flight paths to spread the growing noise of aircraft to more residents in London and the South East.

In the Guardian Series (not online but in print) an article entitled 'Future's looking louder for some' - residents in Wanstead express their concern of more planes flying over them. So NATs proposed flight paths have managed to shift the problem of increasing aircraft noise to yet more residents in Wanstead - that's a really efficient way to deal with it - we don't think! That old can of worms.....

We were even happier to read that in addition to our own coalition campaigners up in Redbridge, that a lady called Anne Williams has been campaigning against the proposed expansion at LCA and was quoted as saying "the proposals (NATS) did not tackle the heart of the matter".

We couldn't agree more Anne, and if you are reading this blog - do please feel free to contact us!

Perhaps NATS and Ian Hall might start to realise that the proposals don't wash with residents at all - though Ian Hall's comments clearly had more concern about increasing efficiency (saving fuel no doubt), and reducing delays for the airlines, than for the residents that have to suffer the growing din of flight expansion beneath them. NATS need to look at their own comments on the CAA paper regarding lack of capacity in the South East's skies.

NATS approach:
  1. Have a growing aircraft noise problem that has growing implications on health and welfare
  2. Don't want to resolve it as there's too much money in it - greed before need.
  3. Spread the noise out to more people and that will hopefully diffuse it a little.
How wrong they were!