Night Noise Protesters Meet

12.42.38pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 6th Sep 2005

Around 200 local residents packed into the York House Salon on Monday evening to discuss the government's consultation paper on aircraft night noise in the run up to the closing date for submissions (September 13th). The meeting was addressed by HACAN's John Stewart, noise consultant Stephen Turner and Richmond Council official John Coates.

Vincent Cable, MP, who attended the meeting, said that "the key new development, which the government has hitherto kept well concealed, is a proposed increase in night flights from 5800 a year to 6420, over 10% more. Far from night flights being stopped or phased out as we hoped - and believed would follow from the Terminal 5 decision - the airline industry is pressing for yet more encroachment on peoples sleep".

"What also emerged from the meeting was that the case for night flights rests heavily on very flaky economic arguments. What is good for the profitability of the airline industry may not, however, be good for Britain as a whole. Airline traffic is heavily subsidised and enjoys tax breaks and, without them, the growth of demand would be considerably less".