On Tuesday 15 November Stansted airport, in partnership with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), held a drop-in session in Felsted.

The event was organised to give residents the opportunity to tell the airport, NATS and the CAA just how disruptive flightpath changes have been to their lives.

You can read the full story of the changes, and how your Parish Council has been fighting them, here.

The session was extremely well attended, so much so that the 100 comment cards provided by the airport ran out before the session was half way through.

The arguments we have presented are:

• The change was implemented despite 86% of respondees saying no, including Uttlesford District Council.
• This has doubled the number of planes using the Clacton route over Felsted Parish.
• We are not NIMBYS, we accept our share of flights, but not everyone else’s share too.
• The change has resulted in an unacceptable increase in noise over rural communities, including Felsted.
• At the February 2017 review, the change should be reversed and actions taken to share the noise burden rather than focus it on the few.

At the meeting we learnt the following:

• Our complaints are being heard. They will form a very important input to the change review, due to take place in February 2017. This review will decide if the change should be reversed, modified or approved. It is vital that everyone continues to have their voice heard. If you are disturbed by a noisy plane, or want to complain about the overall noise increase from the change in flightpath usage, then please do so here. 

• Current government guidance is to concentrate planes on fewer people, rather than share the noise disturbance. Meanwhile in America they follow principles of dispersal. New UK guidance is due to be released for public consultation in January/February. It is anticipated that this will follow the American model, proposing changes which would reduce acceptable noise levels and provide for dispersal of the noise burden. This consultation will likely be valuable to our cause, providing a mechanism to introduce the dispersal of flights and so share the noise burden.
• We will share news about this consultation through the website, so please register for news alerts using the email box below.

For more information please contact Cllr Andy Bennett

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