The council
has pledged to fight any proposal to relax current restrictions on
night flights after the Department for Transport announced plans for
new controls from next year.
Ministers
intend to begin consultation this summer on new arrangements which
would take effect from winter 2005. Transport
department officials unveiled their plans at a forum last Friday February
27 attended by a number of local authorities in the south east affected
by aircraft noise.
Any changes
in the regulations for night flights now have to meet a new European
directive.
For the
first time night noise contours will be published showing the areas
affected by early morning arrivals at Heathrow. Wandsworth
has consistently called for a complete ban on night flights.
The Government
is looking at a new quota system that would allow a substantial increase
in the number of flights. This would be possible because individual
aircraft would carry a lighter noise classification.
Last
year a study by Wandsworth noise experts revealed that the true level
of noise caused by early morning arrivals was up to 75 per cent higher
than that implied by the Government's official method of classification.
This
was because almost two out of three early morning arrivals at Heathrow
had been incorrectly placed in a lower (quieter) band
Council leader Edward Lister said:
"We
will have to look very closely at the small print of these new
regulations when they emerge. Far
from bowing to the pressure from residents for an end to night flights
ministers seem to be getting ready to loosen the controls.
"The
problem for anyone living under the flightpath is that it only takes
one early morning arrival to be woken up. The council will continue
to press for long term airport solutions that remove the need for
night flights to come in over the most densely populated area of the
country."
Last
year the European Court of Human Rights reversed a previous ruling
that night flights contravened the right to a decent night's sleep.
The case
had been brought by a group of west London residents backed by a number
of local authorities including Wandsworth. The proposed extension
to the current night flights regime had been delayed pending the outcome
of the challenge.
March
1, 2004
__________________________________________________
Associated
articles:
Government wins Night Flight
case 8.7.03
Richmond
first with night flights cash
31.05.02
Wandsworth
makes cash call to save night flights ruling May 2002
Residents
face fresh night flights challenge April 2002
Night
flights ruling could come before Christmas November
2002