Lewisham Council has published a letter detailing opposition to any expansion of the London City Airport following a public question at the full Council meeting held on Wednesday, 28th September 2022.
London City Airport is owned by a consortium, made up of AIMCo, OMERS, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Wren House Infrastructure Management and is one of the largest private sector employment sites in Newham.
The letter drafted by local experts including Tim Walker of the Forest Hill Society, says: “The London Borough of Lewisham considers that there is no justification for ending the 24 hour ban. The welfare of Lewisham residents remains our paramount concern and they should expect to be able to have a necessary break from noise, and air pollution during their weekends especially during the busy summer leisure flight periods when they will need to go outside.”
In a detailed briefing, Tim Walker explains that there is no evidence to date that new generation planes are noticeably quieter over SE London than the models they replace.
He says: “London City Airport has provided no evidence that new generation aircraft are noticeably quieter as they fly a near-level concentrated path over the same homes every time some 2000 feet over SE London from some 32km/20 miles from landing. Doubling the number of flights simply doubles the disturbance. These new planes only help reduce noise noticeably for communities close to the airport runway, inside a very small geographical area – the ‘noise contour’ area – where London City measures and reports on its noise impact.”
The full text of the letter and the expert briefing can be read below.
London-City-Airport-consultation-response-Lewisham-Council-270922The publication followed a formal public and a supplementary question at one of Lewisham Council’s shortest ever full council meetings on 28th September, this can be viewed here at 17.59
