Information on Loughborough

Caution urged over runway noise

Posted on 23/04/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Chief Executive's

23 April 2009

Caution urged over runway noise

An extension to East Midlands Airport’s runway should only go ahead if there are sufficient noise controls, Leicestershire County Council advised today.

At its meeting today (Thursday, April 23), the County Council’s development control and regulatory board agreed that:

"North West Leicestershire District Council be advised that the County Planning Authority has no strategic objection to the proposed development, in the context of approved policies for East Midlands Airport, as set out in the East Midlands Regional Plan and the ‘saved’ NW Leicestershire Local Plan.

"The District Council should be satisfied that the applicant’s up-dated calculations of the likely environmental impacts of the proposed runway extension, particularly future noise levels, are reasonable.  The applicant should be invited to put forward noise control proposals to offset the technical increase in noise which would result from the development, in accordance with the objectives for East Midlands Airport set out in the Government’s Air Transport White Paper (ATWP).

"That in the event that the District Council is not able to impose noise controls in this application, then the County Council will reconsider its stance on the designation of the Airport under S78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, subject to the Night Noise Metric monitoring currently being undertaken by the Airport demonstrating that night noise impacts have unacceptably increased compared to the growth activity at the Airport."

The board will send its recommendation to the County Council's Cabinet for consideration.

North West Leicestershire District Council will decide whether to approve the airport's application to extend the runway.