Airport grants that no-one can receive
East Midlands Airport is offering £10,000 relocation grants to help people escape the roar of overhead aircraft – but there are no homes that qualify for the cash.
The airport is offering people who bought their houses before 2003 financial help to move if they suffer aircraft noise levels above 66 decibels.
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However, at present the nearest homes to the airport in Castle Donington have noise levels of around 55 decibels.
The payment packages are part of the airport's recent draft noise action plan, which it was required to draw up by the government.
The airport says the scheme has been drawn up in case noise levels rise in the future.
Peter Beddoe, of Castle Hill, Castle Donington, who lives close to the airport, said: "I think it's quite cynical to offer a relocation payment but then say nobody qualifies for it.
"The noise in Kegworth, particularly, is obscene.
"If they were reasonable, the airport would help most people in that village move because the thunder of the engines there is appalling."
Airport environmental manager Neil Robinson said: "The relocation grants are part of a generous scheme we have to mitigate the noise impact of air traffic.
"We have done noise assessments, and at the moment nobody lives in an area where the level reaches 66 decibels, but this is a safeguard for the future should noise levels rise.
"At this moment in time we don't predict they will rise that high but it is included in our measures in case."
Over the years the airport has spent £1.5 million insulating 502 nearby homes to keep out jet noise and says it will continue to fine airlines who break its own noise levels.
Fines totalling £22,000 were handed to 22 airlines in 2008/09.
A series of public meetings will be held in the coming weeks to allow residents to say if they feel the airport needs to do more to manage noise, as part of a 16-week consultation, ending on October 21.
Latest figures show 2,632 complaints were made about disturbance from aircraft engines between April, 2008 and the end of March, 2009.
Mr Robinson said: "We are confident we already have a good set of measures in place but we are willing to listen to the public to see if we can do anything better."
Once the airport has collected views it will finalise its noise action plan and submit it to the government, which will either approve it or suggest more stringent noise control measures.
Mr Robinson said: "An airport will create noise by its very nature, but we contribute greatly to the region's economy by providing jobs for 7,000 people and bringing in tourists.
"We need to strike a balance between that benefit and the environmental cost."
Steve Charlish is founder of the Demand campaign group, which wants caps on the number of night time flights to and from the airport.
He said: "There's 100,000 people across Leicestershire who have to put up with noise blight every night.
"I'm sure they will have a lot of suggestions for what the airport could do better."
Public meetings will be held at Castle Donington Village Hall, on August 25 and Kegworth Parish Council Rooms, on September 29, between 3pm and 7pm.
8 Comments
by Steve b, Countesthorpe
Thursday, July 23 2009, 2:34PM
“I lived in Castle Donington for a few years in the 1990's. I never complained about the airport (or for that matter the noise and disruption caused by big events at Donington Park) because they were there long before I moved to the village.
That said, everyone associates the airport with Castle Donington, but because of the direction planes approach and leave the airport villages such as Kegworth tend to suffer more than Donington. You'd have to be mega-tolerant of aircraft noise to live in in the part of Kegworth that's directly under the landling path.”
by Sunny, Leicester
Thursday, July 23 2009, 11:49AM
“I can understand that it may be annoying with all the noise pollution, but, those who purchased the house at the time would have surely realised that there would be noise. Im sure the prices of houses would have been lower too because of the noise. Its not like the airport was built overnight, its been there for ages! So I cant really see an arguement here.”
by anon, leicester
Thursday, July 23 2009, 11:16AM
“I live on a main road in leicester which fall under the flight path for the police helicopter. Every night i am woken by the helicopter that can be out for up to an hour at a time up til 3am (it may be out later but this is the latest i have noticed). What can be done about this? i appreciate that it is a valuable tool in crime prevention, but what about the effects to the lives of honest hardworking people?”
by Sue, Loughborough
Thursday, July 23 2009, 10:51AM
“I live on a very busy main road - should I get money to re-locate away from the noise? No, because I knew the road was busy when I bought my house. The only people with an issue should be those who bought their house before the airport was there. For all others, they knew the airport was there when they bought their house.”
by kaydee, le4
Thursday, July 23 2009, 10:03AM
“Why are you guys getting so angry about something so meaningless?”
by Fraser, Derby
Thursday, July 23 2009, 9:54AM
“I am angry about meaningless measures to pay for airport noise costing absolutely nothing.
I suggest they go out to places like Ashbourne, Repton, Burton-on-Trent, Loughborough, Ilkeston, Ashby-de-la-Zouch and all around to see how much of a nuisance they are causing. What price quality of life and peace of mind, and since when does this airport "need" to operate after 11 pm or before 7am? The councils haven't exactly offered to help any of their residents have they, wait till the election comes. Zero target emissions, don't make me laugh!!!”
by Fraser, Derby
Thursday, July 23 2009, 9:45AM
“I totally agree with Graham Stocks.
The fact that "some" planes are not as noisy as others doesn't do much for me (every plane is a nuisance at the best of times) when we live near the flight path, "some" planes take shortcuts and fly overhead and "some" planes are much louder - try dealing with that at midnight and 1 am and I doubt anyone would sleep well.
The airport is clearly NOT spending any money or making a meaningful effort to make people's lives any easier. To glibly say that "100,000 people" could be affected in Leicestershire - then add in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and you have a huge population affected by this surrogate expansion programme.
They also suggest - god help us all - that plane noise "might" become even noisier one day so we are meant to be happy that a higher threshold exists for that ??? I dont think so !!!!
I hope they hold a noise meeting near where I live, but it sounds like we're too far away even thought he planes are below the clouds and some have their engines at full blast 15 - 20 miles away.
This is an absolutely disgusting mis-use of airport expansion by the back door. Who was consulted when they changed the flight paths to go with it ??”
by GRAHAM STOCKS - LEICESTERSHIRE CPRE, LE12 8XT
Thursday, July 23 2009, 9:06AM
“A correction or clarification is needed here. The noise levels quoted are not what a normal noise level recorder will show - that is, straightforward decibel readings. This report is presumasbly quoting average noise levels, which are of course an abstract concept. No one has ever been kept awake or has been disturbed by an average noise. These average noise computations have little or nothing to do with the real world in which people try to enjoy a decent Quality of Life. In short, they are a fiddle-factor.”