Aircraft noise is exempt from noise complaint claims, yet its impact is far-reaching and damages both physical and mental health
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Earlier this week, plans to fast-track Heathrow’s third runway were announced. While there has been much conjecture on the increased emissions and air pollution that such an upgrade will bring, there’s another source of pollution that, for many, slips under the environmental protection radar: noise.
According to the Airports Commission, a third runway at Heathrow would expose 12,000 to 28,000 more people to noise impacts exceeding 70 decibels. As well as this, a third runway would lead to 300,000 people experiencing being flown over by aircraft for the first time.
Already, reports state Heathrow has noise levels classified as ‘significantly annoying’ that impact more people than any other airport in Europe.
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Despite these vast numbers and clear implications, aircraft noise is not currently a statutory nuisance in the UK. That means that local authorities do not have the legal power to take action on matters of aircraft noise, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) does not have the legal power to prevent aircraft flying over a particular location or at a particular time for environmental reasons.
Although maximum noise limits are set for occupational noise exposure, there is no defined limit for environmental noise, including aviation noise.
However, in order to assess the adverse impact of aircraft noise in the UK, government policy has established that the lowest observed adverse level effect is 51dB for an average summer day, and 45 dB for a summer night.
Crucially, this doesn’t mean that noise above these levels will not be allowed. But it does mean that noise will play an important role as a factor in planning decisions within that area (such as airport expansion). There may also be support available for residents for noise mitigation, such as double glazing.
What are the impacts of aircraft noise pollution?
Aircraft noise is a serious public health issue. In the UK, more than one million people are exposed to aircraft noise above levels recommended for the protection of health.
Around 460 schools around Heathrow are exposed to aircraft noise that ‘impede memory and learning’.
As well as this, one large-scale study around Heathrow found people living under the flight path were 10 to 20 per cent more at risk of stroke and heart disease than those not living under the flight path.
Another study by UCL found that those who lived in areas with higher than recommended aircraft noise levels had stiffer and thicker heart muscles that contracted and expanded less easily and were less efficient at pumping blood around the body, compared to those who lived in lower aircraft noise areas.
Emerging studies also link aircraft noise to poor mental health, such as increases in stress and anxiety.
How is noise pollution mitigated?
The UK Government have a framework used to ensure aviation noise remains at a limit. Its main aim is ‘to limit, and where possible, reduce the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise’.
To do this, a range of measures is in place. Through planning decisions, governments aim to limit the impact of noise in any new development. As well as this, plans to work with the aviation industry to encourage the development of quieter aircraft are already in place.
As engines become sleeker, noise pollution reduces. For example, Airbus’s A320neo reduces noise with a new engine, lowering it by 50 per cent from the maximum 85dB of the previous A320 model.
While these measures may help to reduce some aviation noise, for the thousands of individuals living below flight paths, it may not be enough. Ultimately, they are still subjected to loud, disturbing and health-impacting noises.
