‘We do listen’ - Gatwick chief on campaign groups
Gatwick’s head of Noise and Airspace Strategy says the airport does listen to local campaign groups when it comes to noise and carbon pollution.
GACC (Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign) and CAGNE (Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions) are two of local groups who oppose and highlight issues with Gatwick’s expansion plans.
And Andy Sinclair says the airport does engage with those groups.
He said: “We engage quite a lot, particularly about noise with local groups like GACC and CAGNE and we draw them into our noise management board so we stay closely in touch.
“In relation to expansion, they have been providing quite a lot of feedback.
“We do listen to them.
“We can, to a certain extent, answer their questions, but there is always going to be this balance and middle ground as they represent their communities, but there is an argument to say they represent a small number of the community in some cases.
“One of the things we try to do as much as possible is balance that engagement with noise and community action groups with local elected representatives because you then get that democracy and discussion.”
And Mr Sinclair highlighted two case studies which showed how the noise monitoring groups can help and make change.
He said: “One of the noise monitoring groups we have , they have community representatives, and a lady on that group came to this meeting of technical folk, noise experts and airlines and said ‘there is really strange of noise over Lingfield’ from this particular aircraft which was an A220.
“She played this noise which can only be described as like whales mating. It was a really unusual tonal sound. We picked it up through this monitoring group and we said it does sound different. “We checked out our noise monitors in the community and we had a really clear recording of this.
“We went to the manufacturers Airbus and they engaged with their engine manufacturer.
“It turns out there was this problem, not a safety issue, with their combustor which creates this tone.
“As a result we speak to the Department of Transport, we speak to the manufacturers and what they are going to do now is remanufactured the combuster in the engine, they are going to retrofit the current fleet. They will start flowing off the production line in 2023 with a new engine. That shows the benefits of engagement with the local communities.
“We are not always going to be able to answer their questions and give them what they want but the two way relationship is important to us.”
In response to Mr Sinclair, the CAGNE committee said: “Gatwick Airport have formed noise forums - noise management board as Andy comments - where they seek to say Gatwick is listening. Unfortunately Gatwick has allowed these forums to have a monopoly of noise groups from Kent and Surrey as such not all communities have a fair or geographically balanced voice in noise and airspace debates; West Sussex residents bearing much of the brunt of noise groups desires to move noise over residents closer to the runway away from them.
“It is not just aircraft noise that was missing during lockdown but we also witnessed significant reductions in carbon production from the lack of flights and ultrafine particles from the airfield that cause serious health issues through the decline in air pollution because of this airport.
“In the two years Gatwick has been quiet it would have been good to see them building back greener rather than more of the same with seasonal jobs and little consideration for those that suffer from Gatwick’s operations day and night; night flights being the biggest hate for residents according to our surveys.
“What is one person’s pleasure is another person’s misery on the ground. We are sure that there will be an initial rejoicing, but these flights to Alicante for £24 or less are unsustainable and do not reflect the impact flying has on the climate crisis we are all facing. Gatwick was hit the hardest out of all European airports according to Eurocontrol during the pandemic, as it was in the last recession, as it is reliant upon leisure travel and with the ever increasing living costs people are facing, automation of airports and expensive green fuels, we have to question long term economic sustainability.”