Heathrow On Trial Again

Hounslow Council asks residents to complain for once

Hounslow residents are being encouraged by their council to raise their voices over changes to very early morning landings at Heathrow.

With Heathrow airport set for its busiest-ever period during the Olympics, the Government has announced details of its forthcoming ‘Operational Freedoms’ trial.

But the council fears that the trials could lead to a more concentrated period of disturbance before 6am and do even more to erode the precious ‘period of peace’ in the mornings or afternoons, when Hounslow residents receive some respite from aircraft noise when the runways used for take offs and landings are alternated.

Deputy Leader of the council and cabinet member for environment, Cllr Colin Ellar, said he wanted to make sure Hounslow residents’ voices were heard over the roar of the jets when the trial begins.

He said: “Many people like me live right under the flightpath, and in the summer, people sleep with their windows open. So the chances of being woken up by what could be a more concentrated period of noise would seem pretty high.

“We need people to help us monitor whether or not the trial leads to more disturbance at what is still a very, very early hour for the vast majority of people.

“Hundreds of thousands of people across London and the south east are affected by aircraft noise, but Hounslow is a special case because the airport is on our doorstep so the disturbance is much worse.

“The period of peace in the afternoons is absolutely precious to our residents. The big fear is that the trial will lead to the erosion of runway alternation, which provides the period of peace. The more evidence we have, the stronger the case we can mount on their behalf to BAA who run Heathrow and the Government. So it’s vital people let us know if the noise is worse than usual, especially during the early mornings.”

May 21, 2012