Aidan Stanger wrote:
"nightjar" nightjar@insert_my_surname_here wrote:
"Oliver Keating" wrote...

The noise from Heathrow airport alone affects some 1 million people.

The majority of whom would have been born after it was built, so it
has been there longer than they have.

There are many exceptions (Her Majesty included) but I don't think
that's the point. Many more people would be inconvenienced by the
noise from an extra runway.

Actually the government yesterday imposed a very stringent limit on noise
at Heathrow which should have the effect of ensuring that more people are
*not* inconvenienced. Darling has committed to the 3rd runway being
conditional on the area of the 57 dBA noise contour being frozen at last
year's figure of 127 sq km.

The SERAS study claimed that a 3rd runway would expand the noise contour
area to more than 200 sg km; then last year's consultation paper decided
this was too pessimistic and predicted figures as low as 153 sq km, before
conceding grudgingly that it was just about possible to keep within the 145
sq km limit imposed by the conditions for building Terminal 5, even with 3
runways. Now the government says it must be not more than 127 sq km. I
think this may be more difficult to meet than the air quality limits.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)