Noise and night flights were amongst the major concerns highlighted by Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland in his submission to the recent consultation about the proposed expansion of Luton airport. You can read the text of his submission below:
I am making this submission to the consultation process because I know many residents in my constituency, covering Stevenage and surrounding villages, are very concerned about the proposed expansion of Luton Airport.
Luton Airport is valued by local people, to use as passengers and as a source of employment, directly and indirectly. However, the proposed plans for expansion, which would provide significant additional capacity at the airport, are a cause for concern as the passenger numbers using the airport could increase from around 10 million passengers per year to 18 million passengers per year. This is a huge increase and there is no specific constraint on the number of passengers allowed through the airport, so the figure could be even higher.
Residents in Stevenage and the surrounding villages suffer from the noise generated by overflying aircraft, and this will only increase with the proposed expansion. The projections for noise seem to take into account some factors, such as the trend for aircraft to be quieter, but not others, such as the trend towards larger aircraft, which are noisier, and the increased frequency of flights, particularly in the summer months.
Of major concern, too, are night flights. It is important that any increase in capacity has to include noise reduction measures, so the quality of life locally is not affected, and residents have proper protections against disturbance from night flights.