The following is a document provided to us by the Parish Council from Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign. It provides information on the recent London Airspace Consultation by Gatwick Airport Ltd (GAL) and National Air Traffic Service (NATS).
To download a copy please Click Here.
You may have heard Gatwick are asking for consultation and I can’t stres how important this is that you should comment. This is the link http://www.londonairspaceconsultation.co.uk
Enter your postcode and see for yourself!
Please be aware that at present flight paths are shared but what is being proposed is that the chosen routes should only get the constant noise, so this is very worrying.
Those that think they are safe might be unhappy to see the new routes!
Please inform friends and family, as this is very important for this area both from the sky and the land.
Sally Pavey
In addition to the possibility of a second runway, Gatwick Airport Ltd, and National Air Traffic Services have jointly published proposals for a major revamp of the flight paths into and out of Gatwick. These plans could have a serious adverse effect on our area. The consultation documents are available at: http:///www.londonairspaceconsultation.co.uk/?page_id=37 . The consultation ends on 21st January 2013 and the Parish Council will be working on a drag response to meet that deadline. This consultation is in the form of seven large documents with thirteen appendices – so just view it on line! With members in all areas around the airport, GACC ( Gatwick Airport Conservation Campaign) has a firm and long established policy of not supporting or opposing proposals to move aircraft noise from one community to another therefore although they will be responding it will be in general terms. Should you sit to say why aircraft should not fly over our local area you must respond directly yourself.
The Parish Council has submitted a document ‘Representations in relation to an expansion at Gatwick and Heathrow Airports.’ This has been distributed to the Airports Commission, BAA Heathrow, Gatwick Airport Ltd, GACC, GATCOM, SCC, MVDC and others. A copy can be found at www.capelvillage.co.uk.
Jackie Coke
Clerk to the Council (01306-712447)
CPRE Surrey, CPRE Sussex and the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign are holding a Seminar on Friday, 25th October 2013 at the Stanhill COurt Hotel, Stan Hill, Charlwood RH6 0EP from 9:30am til 1:00pm followed by lunch (£12 per ticket). The seminar will be followed by the GACC Annual Meeting. Local MP’s, District and Borough Councillors will be attending together with Council Chief Executives and planning officers, Parish Councillors and members of CPRE.
Speakers will include Rt. Hon Francis Maude MP for Horsham, Tim Johnson, Director of the Aviation Environment Federation and Tim Harold, Chair of Surrey CPRE Aviation Group.
This is an important and high profile seminar on the future of Gatwick. If you are interested in the effect of a second runway at Gatwick is likely to have on the local community in the future please attend.
Jackie Coke, Clerk to the Council (01306-712447)
GACC is organising a joint seminar with its AGM on the morning of Friday 25th October 2013. Future strategy for responding to issues on the Gatwick and Heathrow Airways and the possibility of a second runway at Gatwick will be discussed at this meeting.
Jackie Coke, Clerk To The Council 01306-712447
The maps, recently published by GACC, showing the probable new flight paths if there were to be a new runway at Gatwick have caused widespread consternation. GACC has received many enquiries from councils surprised that their areas are likely to be affected. These include anxious queries from people who live in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which surround Gatwick on three sides.
These areas are recognised nationally as places of beauty and peace and are visited by over a million people each year in search of quiet relaxation. All the AONBs are on high ground and therefore the impact of aircraft noise is greater eg Leith Hill.
When Gatwick Airport claim that ‘only’ 29,000 people would be affected by noise from a new runway, and that this fewer than at Heathrow, they ignore the impact on the million or so people who enjoy the peace of the AONBs.
Stuart McLauchlan writes for Coldharbour: “People visit the Surrey Hills AONB because of the stunning, unspoilt countryside within easy reach of London. There are many notable attractions such as Leith Hill Tower with its famous view of 13 counties, the Rhododendron Woods of Leith Hill Place, the recently restored Holmbury ancient monument and hundreds of miles of footpaths and bridleways winding their way through this beautiful land. These visits are enhanced by the peace and tranquility of the AONB which would be shattered if the Gatwick take-of route from the new runway was routed directly overhead”
It is up to Gatwick Airport Ltd in conjunction with National Air Traffic Services (NATS) to publish more accurate maps of the proposed routes so that the public can be aware of the probable consequences of a new runway.
The Parish Council will be discussing the latest information available on the proposed new routes at their meeting in September with more information available regarding this in August.
Jackie Coke, Clerk to the Council 01306 712447
The Gatwick Airport Conservation Campaign has published illustrative but not definitive maps of take-off and landing routes from a second Gatwick runway. The maps can be viewed at www.gacc.org.uk/latest-news. Gatwick Airport Ltd have stated that they are looking for a location for a new runway between the airport and Crawley. In 2003 when a similar proposal was last discussed, BAA, the then owners of Gatwick. stated that any new runway south of the existing runway would need to be operated in mixed mode, that is, being used both for landing and for taking-off as is the case with the existing runway. The existing runway would also need to continue in mixed mode. At Heathrow. which has two runways, one is used for landings and one for take offs, which is called segregated mode. That is practicable because four out of the five terminals lie between the runways.
At Gatwick, however, the two existing terminals lie to the north of the existing runway. It would not be possible to operate a two-runway Gatwick in segregated mode because aircraft using the new southern runway would need to cross the existing runway to reach the existing terminals. The only practicable way to operate a two-runway Gatwick would be in mixed mode, so that aircraft using the existing runway would use the existing terminals, and aircraft using the southern runway would use a new terminal between, or to the south of, the runways.
Gatwick Airport Ltd have stated that they are consldering a close parallel runway or a wide spaced runway. In the case of a close parallel runway, arrivals and departures would need to be synchronised in order to avoid dangerous wake turbulence. That would severely limit the capacity of the airport, and is unlikely to appeal to the Airports Commission.
The maps are therefore based on a so-caned ‘Wide-spaced’ runway as shown in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper, and in the 2012 Gatwick Master Plan, 1,035 m to the south of the existing runway -the closest together that is permitted under international regulations for independent operation.
Take-off routes. With independent mixed mode operation it would frequently occur that two aircraft were taking-off Simultaneously, in the same direction one from each runway. Initially they would be on two parallel tracks 1,035 m apart. Flight paths would need to be designed to avoid mid air collisions.
When taking-off towards the west, the safest route would be for aircraft from the new southern runway to peel off left, close to Horsham. Alternatively they might be directed to take a Wide swing round to the north and then to the east, taking them over the Surrey Hills AONB, and the southern side of Dorking, Reigate and Redhill.
Aircraft taking-off towards the east would need new flight paths, with the existing flight path to the south-east (Seaford Easterly) having to be moved further east, possibly over East Grinstead (shown on the map as a dashed blue line).
Approach paths. Most aircraft approach Gatwick from the east, keeping to a straight ‘glide-path’ for the final 10-15 miles.
With two runways operating independently. for the final 10-15 miles there would need to be two parallel approach paths, one kilometre apart. So the approach path for the new southern runway from the east would pass directly over Dormansland.
At present aircraft fly on a wide variety of routes over Sussex (all passing over the Ashdown Forest AONB) before joining the final approach path. If that dispersed system continues, the effect of a new runway would be merely to double the number of aircraft in the sky. In a few years’ time however, as a result of improved navigational equipment, the flight paths are likely to be concentrated onto a few routes in the same area. With two runways and twice the number of aircraft, the number of such concentrated routes would be likely to double. Itis not known where these routes might be -the maps are purely illustrative. A similar situation would apply for aircraft approaching from the west. There would be two parallel approach paths I km apart for the final 10-15 miles. And double the number of concentrated flight paths approaching from the south.
JACKIE COKE, Clerk to the Council, 01306 712 447
Gatwick Airport Ltd (GAL) has recently formally told the Airports Commission that it Wishes to build a second runway;
Has said that it is concentrating on the area between the airport and Crawley;
Has announced that it is examining a close parallel runway. ora staggered runway, or a Wide-spaced runway;
Has told Parliament that it envisages Gatwick ultimately becoming larger than Heathrow;
Has allocated £10 million in the next two years to develop its runway plans;
Has commissioned two high-powered London PR companies to sell the runway plans nationally and locally.
The Commission, which has the task of deciding whether the UK needs a bigger hub airport, and whether a new runway is needed in South East England, is proceeding methodically and has set Out its programme leading up to its final report in summer 2015.
Outline plans for new runways have to be submitted to the Commission by 19 July 201 3. GAL has promised to consult ‘stakeholders’ on their new runway plans but itis not yet known whether this will be before or after submitting them. There will also be an opportunity for comments. on the plans to be sent direct to the Commission. Later this year there are due to be more discussion documents on hub airports. and on the environment.
In December the Commission is required to produce an interim report. Thls will contain proposals for short-termactlcn to improve capacity of existing runways. It wit! also contain a short-list of proposals for new runways to be taken forward for firrtherconslderaticntn 2014.
It is probable that on the list will be: a new runway (or runways) at Heathrow, a new runway at Gatwick.a new runway at Stansted, and a new airport in the Thames Estuary. At Heathrow new proposals have recently been put forward for extendIng the airport westwards over the M25. During the course of 20 14 the Commission will be assessing the merits and demerits of each of the sites on the short-list. Local authorities will need to ensure that an the facts available to the Commission are up-to-date. For example. Crawley will need to remind them of the 2,000 new houses being built close to the end of a possible runway.
There is no sign that the Commission is intending to seek the views of the public or of local councils on the broad issue of whether they are for or against a new runway. But the county and district councils around Gatwick may wish to undertake research. either individually or jointly. into speciflc aspects. For example:
Finally, in summer 2015 after the next election, the Commission is due to produce its recornrnendatlons for when and where new runways shou.ld be built. When (before July 19) GAL produce their plans for possible locations for a new runway at Gatwick they will invite the views of local councils. The Parish Council has it on good authority that should a second runway be built between the Airport and Crawley the amount of air traffic noise experienced over Capel would double over what it is today.
Jackie Coke, Clerk to the Council 01306 – 712447
Gatwick Airport has recently started a consultation, which the Parish Council will be responding to, on the introduction of a new way of making sure aircraft follow as closely as possible the departure routes they are required to keep to after they take off from the airport.
The new system is called P-RNAV (Precision Area Navigation) This is a navigation system that enables a track of keeping accuracy of +/- 1 nautical mile compared with +/- 5 nautical miles which is the next best standard. P-RNAV will mean that the dispersion of departing aircraft will become more concentrate than before ( until they are at 4,000 feet and can be vectored by Air Traffic Control as is current operational practice) with the result that some residents will be overflown less, while others will be overflown more and therefore the noise impact will be redistributed. Members of the public can view documents and take part in the consultation on
A recent Press Release from GACC states that Business organisations and the national press have castigated the Government for the delay in putting forward ideas on where new runways should be built or how the UK can maintain its hub airport status. According to GACC there are currently plenty of slots available at Gatwick and Stansted, and the London airports will not be full until 2030, or well beyond then if the recession continues or oil prices rise. GACC has said that there is no space for a new runway – or at least not one that could operate efficiently – let alone space for a large hub airport and that the company owning Gatwick has expressed doubts about investing in a multi-billion pound runway project with an uncertain commercial return. Please see www.gacc.org.uk for the full statement.
Jackie Coke – 01306 712447