Richard and Anthony Browne - Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire - met with the Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere, last week to discuss the change in Luton Airport flight paths.
Richard Fuller MP said:
The change to Luton's flight paths has created problems for many constituents and for other residents in Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, so I was pleased to join my colleague, Anthony Browne at a meeting with the Minister.
Anthony and I were fairly direct: the consultation missed a number of important sensitivities - perhaps because it was conducted as we were still emerging from Covid - and the overall change to flight paths must consider issues particularly important to rural areas.
Anthony raised the point that an absolute Decibel change in noise is much more significant in rural areas where the ambient noise level is low compared to cities. This is not considered in the process.
I focused on Luton Airport expansion and asked if the impact assessments were taking this (now planned ) increase in traffic into account. The officials will check.
The Minister was empathetic and “in listening mode” - particularly as this change is the first in a series for other airports.
Whilst their work continues, there is still scope for consideration of important alterations - perhaps minor - within the flight path corridor.
I encourage Parish Councils and residents to make their suggestions clear via the consultation website here: https://www.london-luton.co.uk/corporate/community/noise
The meeting followed a debate in the House of Commons at the start of this year when Richard asked for a meeting to discuss concerns about the impact of noise on local residents.
More information can be read here.
