News

Farnborough Airport complaints exceed 400

By Tim Harris
January 21, 2013

MORE than 400 complaints have been made to Farnborough Airport during the last two years from people living around the area, new figures have shown.

The 402 complaints to TAG Farnborough Airport were lodged in 2011 and 2012, as residents voiced their concerns about the airport.

The figures, released by Rushmoor Borough Council, revealed the nature of the complaints included problems with noisy, low aircraft, planes apparently not flying on their correct paths and ground noise.

It is also clear the majority of complaints do not come from those in Farnborough itself, but instead the areas nearby. The figures showed more than 100 complaints were registered from each of Fleet and Church Crookham across the two year period while around 50 came from Farnborough.

Complaints were also made from Mytchett, Farnham, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Dogmersfield, Deepcut, Frimley Green and Guildford.

Roger Hunter, 72, of Denning Close, Fleet, said: “We have been subjected to noise many times because the aircraft are flying so low. It is quite unacceptable that they do that. The aircraft come thundering across the top of the house very low. In the summer you can be sitting in the garden and they go over. I find it very frustrating that there is nothing that can seem to be done about it.”

Fifty-year-old Graham Butler, of Malthouse Close, in Church Crookham, added: “I have complained on many occasions, but I think the level of complaints is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Hart District councillor Jenny Radley confirmed she lives under the flight path and said her ‘quality of life’ is affected.

“Clearly residents are concerned by aircraft flying over,” she said. “There is something about aircraft flying over your garden that is quite disturbing. They are frustrated by the flights.”

The figures show the number of complaints decreased last year. In 2011 there were 264 complaints made to Farnbor-ough Airport, but this number fell to 138 in 2012.

However, Geoff Marks, chairman of the Farnborough Airport Residents’ Association, said this might simply be a result of residents ‘tiring’ of complaining.

Mr Marks said: “One cannot place too much weight on the fact that the number of complaints has dropped. I do not think it shows that the number of people who are annoyed has gone down.

“Those who do complain find the answer unsatisfactory, there is no positive outcome from their complaint. People find that there is little outcome.”

Mr Hunter added: “With the complaints you are bashing your head against a brick wall, I think most people find.”

Miles Thomas, environment manager for TAG Farnborough Airport, insisted measures are in place to minimise noise around the airport.

“We understand that noise is an important concern for the local community and we welcome the decrease in annual complaints,” said Mr Thomas.

“We are committed to minimising noise. Only this month, we introduced a new measure to manage noise, by banning jet aircraft which do not meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s most stringent and quietest classification for jet aircraft.

“We know there is still work to be done and we will continue to consult our neighbours and experts on this important issue to identify ways of improving the noise environment around the airport.”

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The airport was here first, unless your are 105 years old!! Farnborough is known for its Airshow and Airport! It really gets my goat when people start moaning about it, the airport was here first get over it or move!

Emma Wilson, farnborough
14/02/2013 at 20:35

I'll see the NIMBYs living around Farnborough on the beach at Margate, or perhaps, West Wittering. After all, how could they be so hypocritical as to put the environment and lives of others (including school children) at risk by taking a foreign holiday (of for that matter a business trip) by the good old avion? Oh but of course, that's different.

I also suspect that the miliitary test flights conducted at Farnborough for decades are likely to have been more dangerous (and almost certainly noisier) than the quiet bizjets that currently frequent the area. Interesting that military aircraft generally have ejection seats and civil aircraft do not?

Knapperdog, Surly
29/01/2013 at 15:21

pjt: Quite.

BlisteringBarnacles! , Sheffield / Farnborough
25/01/2013 at 15:11

BlisteringBarnacles: So are a number of schools!

pjt
25/01/2013 at 14:30

The plus side of course pjt, is that should a plane come crashing out of the sky into Farnborough Park, the AAIB will be right around the corner.

BlisteringBarnacles! , Sheffield / Farnborough
25/01/2013 at 14:04

Pigfarmer. I moved here 30 years ago when the airfield was in decline and it looked more like it was going to be a housing estate and business park rather than an airport. The argument about not moving next to an airfield may be valid now, but 30 years ago things looked very different.

The elephant in the room is that since the early 80s there has been a huge amount of develoment and so at the time decisions were made about Farnborough, and more recent decisions about its expansion, should have given this much consideration.

I do worry about safety. Correct me if I am wrong, but I did not think this area of aviation is regulated to quite the same degree as for airliners. I also think that environmentally there is little argument for exec jets as the big people movers - the Airbus and Boeings - are more fuel efficient given the larger passenger numbers and cargo weights that they carry. A guess, but it must take over 100 takoffs by a Typical learjet to move the same number of people as a A380.

pjt
25/01/2013 at 10:31

pjt, I think you have taken my comment a little too flippantly, obviously I understand moving is an expensive exercise.

If you moved here out of necessity, why did you choose the area near the airfield? I moved to Farnborough 5 years ago, after working here for 2 years prior to that, I managed to find a nice house that met our requirements that wasn't right by the airfield, I researched all the local areas.

I am just pointing out you can not move to Farnborough and be surprised about the air traffic.

Knapperdog, you have hit the nail on the head, people are all to quick to ignore the hand that feeds.

one thing that gets my goat around here is the NIMBY culture.

Pigfarmer, Farnborough
25/01/2013 at 08:40

I'm keeping a look out skyward in the hope I can catch sight of a caped superhero with £10 notes bursting out of their pockets.

pjt
24/01/2013 at 17:45

Pigfarmet says: "if i didn't like it i would move - simple." I envy pigfarmer who must be a very rich person if they can say the simple option is to "move". They must be rolling in it. They can afford to throw away thousands in stamp duty, legal fees, professional fees and removal expenses. I and many like me can't afford to spend like that.

Then there is the hassle of house hunting, packing, uprooting children, changing schools, longer commute - possibly even find a new job for me or my wife. If that is Pigfarmer's idea of "simple" they really must wear their red undies outside their trousers!

pjt
24/01/2013 at 17:43

Different opinions are fine, but criticising people for living here and also complaining about expansion of the airport is unfair. I for one came here out of necessity and into an area with an airport that was in decline and likely to end up as a housing estate.

The amount of development in the area is out of proportion for its proximity to what is now a growing aviation centre. We should have had housing in close proximity or airfield expansion but not both.

pjt
24/01/2013 at 17:35

That Cody bloke messing about on Laffans Plain over 100 years ago has a lot to answer for. I wonder what Farnborough, and for that matter, Aldershot would be if it weren't for the airfield and the huge military spend over the years? Qinetiq, BAe, various other employers. Personally, I think they should fill in the M3, Blackwater Valley Road and the local railway lines, noisy eye-sores that they are. Of course, the motorway and dual-carriageway are more recent (unwelcome?) developments than the airfield.

Knapperdog, Surly
24/01/2013 at 15:49

We moved to Farnborough in 2010, to a house in Farnborough Pk directly under the inbound flight path. I knew this to be the case, and was aware of TAGs submitted plans to increase traffic movements.

Whilst the noise of a plane passing overhead on its final approach can be loud, it is brief, perhaps lasting 15 seconds in total. The vast majority of aircraft do not interrupt conversation if standing outside.

However, whilst the quantity of plane movements overhead is fine, the times of those movements is less so. Weekday and weekends afternoons are usually peaceful, but there's a real 'rush hour' of planes from 1700-2000. On Sunday evenings, its common for several planes to pass overhead between 2130-2145.

Personally, I feel this is too late, and a curfew of say 2000 should be imposed. Get the plane movements done during daytime and early evening, and leave the skies over Farnborough quiet from 2000 onwards.

Mr Jaggers, Farnborough
24/01/2013 at 09:18

with regards to pjt on this line: "Imagine if the road in front of your house became a big noisy motorway."

if i didn't like it i would move - simple.

Pigfarmer, Farnborough
22/01/2013 at 16:58

Simple. Farnborough has had an airport here longer than any of the residents have been here. Why the problem? And it's MUCH quieter now than when it was MOD.

Think what the town would be like without it. No (or even less) investment.