A resident who lives near Hilly Fields came to my surgery recently. For the past few years he has regularly been woken up early in the morning (sometimes as early as 4.30am) by aircraft noise, and finds it difficult to get back to sleep. Back in January, when I asked the deputy mayor whether Lewisham would be submitting a formal response to the consultation on Heathrow (LBL didn't, Greens did) she said that the borough only received one or two complaints a year from residents about aviation noise. However, I'm now wondering if this is a case of a few individuals who are very light sleepers being particularly effected, or if the problem is more widespread and people are simply suffering in silence.
HACAN and the London Assembly environment committee have both at various times commissioned research on the impacts of aircraft noise on Londoners' quality of life. HACAN are very concerned at the impact a third runway or ending the runway alternation at Heathrow will have on those living under flightpaths are they are calling for the adoption of the noise levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.
So, I would like some feedback from residents: are you disturbed by aircraft noise? Does it wake you up/stop you from sleeping? E-mail me or post in the comments please.
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5 comments:
I am a very light sleeper but do not get woken by aircraft noise; I think this is largely because I am accustomed to it now. When my mum comes to stay she is always woken by it; she lives a long way from any airport at home.
They do bother me but they don't disturb my sleep, I very often work throughout the night and I think that they start flying over Lewisham at about 4:30 am, when I hear them I take it that it's time for me to go to sleep. They are quite annoying during the day though.
What I do positively hate are helicopters, they are awfully noisy and often very persistent. There are questions to be asked to the Police, do they use them to do just patrol or are they called in to support for emergencies only?
There was one helicopter over Catford today and he didn't seem to be focusing on anything, just flying by, it spent a good ten minutes above us little people and made everybody's life hell.
I understand that currently helicopters don't need to notify anybody of their flying paths. I think it's time to challenge this freedom because it comes together with a huge nuisance to the public and also to put a ban to all non emergency flights.
Hi Max
Yes, helicopter noise is also a problem. The London Assembly Environment Committee that Darren chairs did a report on this last year.
While I'm no fan of the third runway at Heathrow, I have to say I chortle when I hear people in Lewisham complaining about aircraft noise. With family in the Feltham/Hounslow areas and having spent many a night trying to sleep there or sitting in the garden trying to hear myself think I have to say people round here moaning about aircraft noise jsut don't know how lucky you are!
When Concorde went over my granmother's ornaments would shake and her window's would rattle!
I live in catford, I found this page by searching for a reason as to why helicopters are flying round and round and round at all times of the night??! Does anyone know? The noise is incredibly irritating! What's going on, this is a residential area! What are they thinking?
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