A letter has been sent to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) urging them to reconsider the relocating of London Luton Airport's arrivals stack over rural Huntingdonshire and to abandon the flight paths.
The letter was sent on behalf of Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) following the passing of a motion at a full council meeting on March 29 which garnered almost unanimous support.
At the meeting, executive councillor for customer services Stephen Ferguson said that thousands of residents have complained about having their "rural tranquillity shattered" by up to 40 flights per day.
Residents from several villages, including Potton and Gamlingay, Longstanton, the Gransdens, Waresley and Abbotsley, have all been detrimentally impacted by the aircraft noise.
This is due to the arrivals stacking system and flight path changes, which came into effect on February 24, 2022.
In the letter sent to the CAA on April 19, Cllr Ferguson said: "In terms of specifics, the motion asks that the council urges London Luton Aiport to abandon recent path changes which have led to additional aircraft mileage above rural Huntingdonshire communities.
READ MORE: Villagers upset at aircraft noise attend Reject Luton Airport Stacking meeting
"I am, within this letter formally presenting this request and I seek your response, on behalf of HDC and its residents, as part of the Post Implementation Review you are conducting."
Ahead of the flight path changes to Luton's airspace, a consultation was undertaken by Luton Aiport and air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS).
Cllr Ferguson had previously called the consultation "flawed" at a public meeting and said that the disturbances and impacts from the flights were much worse than indicated, with the CAA determining that noise is not an issue for aircraft flying at 7,000ft.
Today, on behalf of Huntingdonshire District Council, I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority to request that they reconsider the relocating the Luton Airport arrivals stack over rural Huntingdonshire. pic.twitter.com/XWwKpTYHg8
— Stephen Ferguson (@borofergie) April 20, 2023
The new arrivals route is now in the last stage of the NATS post-implementation review, which will end in September, and all benefits and impacts assessed by the CAA.
READ MORE: London Luton Airport go ahead with fight path plans over Hunts
A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said: "We can confirm we've received a letter from Huntingdonshire District Council and will respond in due course.
"As part of a transparent airspace change process, Luton Airport is carrying out a review of the change and will submit this analysis to us in September.
"This review process is known as a Post-implementation Review, and we will use this analysis to review whether the predicted impacts and benefits that were outlined in the original proposal and published decision are as expected."
In the letter, HDC also asks that the CAA consider the "real-life" evidence of the impacts on the district to ensure flight paths minimise disturbance.
Also, that appropriate consideration is given to the added impact flights will have on tranquil rural areas with low background noise levels.
Signing off the letter, Cllr Ferguson said: "The council request that all possible steps be taken to mitigate against nuisance impact on our communities, and we seek assurances that this will occur with the review the CAA is conducting."
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