London Stansted Noise Complaints Analysis Report 2015

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to provide statistics relating to noise complaints received by Stansted Airport for the period January to December 2015.

Number of Contacts and Complaints

During 2015 the Flight Evaluation Unit handled 513 contacts, reporting on 764 individual enquiries, 26.5% fewer than the number received in 2014, (which was 1036). From this figure, 747 were complaints and 17 were enquiries relating to provision of information, particularly requesting information on property that may be affected by operations at Stansted.

Contact Methods

Stansted Airport can be contacted by Phone, Email, Web Client and Letter. Stansted Airport responds to all complaints and other enquiries.

A summary of the contact methods used is detailed below

Contact Method No of C ontacts % 2015 Letter 3 0.6% Email 344 67.0% Phone /Answerphone 115 22.4% Web 51 10.0%

Of the 747 complaints received during 2015, the majority were during the airports much busier summer period.

The graph below compares the number of complaints by month to the number of complainants by month.

Complaints by Month 2015 180

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80 Total Complaints 60 Total Complainants

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The highest numbers of complaints in 2015 were received in July, August and October. In July and August we saw the usual pattern of increase throughout the summer season. The higher number of complaints received in October may be attributed to the increased use of Runway 04 which saw an equal split between the two runway directions, a very unusual pattern for that time of year. Also, during the period September to November 2015, the airport consulted publically on the introduction of 2 Performance Based Navigation SID’s that had been trialled successfully for the previous two years, for which there was significant local and national media coverage.

During 2015, a total of 747 complaints were received from 245 people. Within these complaint totals, 309 complaints (41%) were received from 4 people. The locations of the top 4 complainants in 2015 are shown on the map below.

Complaints by Time Period

The following charts show the numbers of complaints received relating to aircraft operations during specified time periods namely Day, Core Night and the 2 shoulder periods.

Complaints by Time Period 2015

67 168 Morning Shoulder 06:00 - 07:00

76 Day 07:00 - 23:00

Evening Shoulder 436 23:00 - 23:30 Core Night 23:30 - 06:00

Comp lain ts Received per Y ear 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Morning Shoulder 06:00 - 07:00 77 48 115 112 67 Day 07:00 - 23:00 577 520 623 708 436 Evening Shoulder 23:00 - 23:30 41 29 31 28 76 Core Night 23:30 - 06:00 186 145 138 174 168 Total Complaints 881 742 907 1022 747

Location of complaints for the Morning Shoulder period (06:00-07:00)

Location of complaints for the Daytime period (07:00-23:00)

Location of Complaints for the Evening Shoulder period (23:00-23:30)

Location of Complaints relating to the Core Night period (23:30-06:00)

Runway Usage

The following chart shows the runway modal split for 2015 and clearly shows the higher usage of runway 04 in April, September and October.

This chart combines the arrivals and departures for 2015 as measured in our ANOMS noise and track keeping system. The most significant change from 2014 is the greater usage of runway 04 during October as well as a general increase in aircraft movements throughout the year.

Runway Utilisation 2015 18000

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Runway Utilisation 2014 16000

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Nature of Complaints

The graph below shows the areas that have received 10 or more specific complaints.

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 general low flying track increased helicopters night and general noise/too keeping flights early enquiry loud morning

Of the complaints received where we were able to correlate the complaint to a specific operation, either a departing or an arriving aircraft, rather than a complaint relating to aircraft noise in general, we can show what routes, by runway, generate these complaints. (this does not include the multiple complainers)

Ru nway Arrival s Departure s by R oute Buzad Clacton Detling 22 31 68 30 45 04 132 27 6 20

Runway 22 arrivals generated fewer complaints than runway 04 arrivals; this may partly be attributable to the modal split last summer, where there was much less use of runway 04 than is usually seen. Those complaints relating to runway 04 arrivals can also be partly attributable to the inability to perform a continuous descent approach on runway 04, due to airspace constraints, which if available would facilitate aircraft being higher for longer during their approach to the airport. The Clacton departure routes generated fewer complaints than the Detling routes. This could be attributable to aircraft being able to climb quicker on the Clacton routes immediately after departure compared to the Detling routes which are constrained in height due to airspace limitation near the Thames Estuary.

Origin of Complaints

When handling and registering complaints we require a full name and postal address, as per our published noise complaints handling policy. This enables us to accurately locate the geographic location where the disturbance was registered and then accurately correlate the complaint to an aircraft operation(s) radar track. We can only do this for Stansted operations and will advise any complainant if the disturbance was not caused by Stansted operations.

A full breakdown of complainant localities for 2015 is detailed below.

Locality Callers Events

Abington 1 1 Albury 3 4 Berden 1 2 Birchanger 9 61 Bishops Stortford 57 81 Braintree 2 2 1 5 Broxted 1 2 Bulphan 1 1 Buntingford 3 4 Bures 1 1 Cavendish 1 1 Clavering 2 3 1 2 Debden 2 9 Debden Green 1 2 Duddenhoe End 1 1 Du nmow 5 5 Duton Hill 1 1 2 5 Epping 1 1 Epping Green 1 3 Faringdon 1 1 Finchingfield 2 4

Great Amwell 1 1 Great Bardfield 1 1 Great Barwick 1 1 Great Cornard 1 2 Great Easton 2 3 Great Hallingbury 3 11 Great Maplestead 1 7 Great Notley 2 2 Great Sampford 2 7 Great Shelford 1 1 Great Yeldham 1 1 Halesworth 1 1 1 1 7 9 Hastingwood 1 1 Hatfield Broad Oak 3 17 Hatfield Heath 6 80 Haverhill 1 1 Helions Bumpstead 1 1 Henham 8 10 Hertford 3 5 High Easter 1 1 Hinxton 1 1 Hunsdon 2 2 Ingatestone 1 2 Little Bardfield 1 1 1 1 Little Dunmow 1 1 Little Hadham 2 2 4 7 Little Stamford 1 1 Little Walden 1 1 Little Waltham 1 10 Manuden 3 5 Much Hadham 5 6 Nazeing 1 1 Newport 3 4 North End 1 4 Old Harlow 1 2 Puckeridge 2 3 Quendon 2 2

Ramsey 1 1 Rayne 1 1 Ridgewell 1 2 Roydon 1 57 Royston 2 5 9 23 Sawbridgeworth 7 10 Sheering 2 4 Sible Hedingham 1 4 St Albans 1 1 Standon 3 3 Stansted 5 11 Steeple Bumpstead 1 1 Sudbury 1 5 Suffolk 1 1 Takeley 5 14 4 144 Thorley 1 1 Tilty 1 1 Toppersfield 1 1 Ware 6 8 Widdington 1 7 Widford 2 10 Willingale 1 6 Wimbish 1 3 Woodside Green 1 1

Noise Infringements

During 2015 there was 1 departure that exceeded the Government’s departure noise limits in August at any of our 8 fixed noise monitors, a decrease of 2 from 2014. The operator was surcharged in line with the Airports noise infringement penalty scheme. All monies raised are passed to the Stansted Airport Community Trust Fund annually.

The aircraft was an Antonov 12 – there were no complaints received as a result of this aircraft operation.

Summary

As previously mentioned, during the period September to November 2015, the airport consulted publically on the introduction of 2 Performance Based Navigation SID’s that have been trialled successfully for the previous two years. There was significant local and national press coverage of the consultation and the project as a whole. This could be partly attributable to the increase in complaints we saw during October 2015, as well as the unusual weather patterns for the time of year, with a significant period of time operating solely on runway 04. Towards the end November 2015 the CAA announced they had accepted the NATS proposals to move daytime Detling departures to the existing Clacton routes. This project, known as LAMP Phase1A, is set for implementation on the 4th February 2016.

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0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015