I have sent this letter to the Chief Executive of Wokingham Borough Council in regard to the issue of aircraft noise. I am also making representations to NATs, Heathrow Airport and the Aviation Minister:
Mr Andy Couldrick
Chief Executive
Wokingham Borough Council
Civic Offices, Shute End
Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 1BN
8 October 2015
Dear Andy
Thank you for your email note to me following our recent meeting.
You explained that Wokingham Borough Council has not received any significant volume of complaints about the impact of overhead noise from aircraft travelling to and from Heathrow Airport.
I think it is important for the council to be aware that this issue is very contentious locally and become more so in recent months. It appears that there is now a concentration of flights in narrow corridors instead of spreading them out, creating air motorways over the local area which cause big disturbance and unhappiness.
I enclose an example of correspondence I have received from local residents, which demonstrates the impact this is having. I am sending this onto you for your information.
Yours sincerely
John Redwood
October 13, 2015
Have to say I – living in the Wokingham Without area – rarely notice them. I notice my dog stares up at them all the time – they go right over my house, sometimes one after the other every minute or so – for long periods. Modern jets are so quiet I barely notice them even when sitting in the garden. Are people really bothered by them? Not like the old days of VC10s and Tridents. Tridents were really noisy. Modern jets seem almost silent.
I might be concerned about air quality … but the traffic around here is absolutely nuts these days – thanks to the unlimited immigration so popular with the Conservative and Labour parties – and to the determination of both parties to raise house prices so high that both parents have to work. I guess deterioration in air quality is due to the traffic. Lots of people I know use ‘puffers’ at times.
It used to take me 15 minutes to drive into Bracknell in the mornings. It regularly takes 45 minutes these days – just a few miles! Quicker to walk – which I would if the old knees didn’t play up.
October 14, 2015
I agree.
I would have thought most MP’s postbags were full of complaints about the NHS, and the immigration situation, and those were the top two topics. I would be interested in a first hand view as to what are the top topics in the letters they get, and in what kinds of proportion. Although to be fair to John he does cover these in the main part of the site.
Reply The main components of MP postbags these days are lobbyist letters and emails forwarded by constituents. Currently there is one urging us to take more Syrian refugees which tops my current inbox, one against Sunday trading, and one against TTIP and the NHS consequences they attribute to this EU policy.
October 14, 2015
Thanks for the reply John. Interesting. As you will have worked out yourself there is a gap between those issues and what the real people are concerned about and discuss amongst themselves routinely.
October 18, 2015
I fully support John’s flagging of this issue of aircraft noise, and he is obviously looking ahead if we have a third runway as it will get worse. To suggest it is not impacting people is incredibly naive as quite simply it is, check how Bracknell, Ascot and Sunningdale have picked up the issue. We have them turning over our home from dawn till dusk, where previously we didn’t. If someone built a motorway next to my house I would have some say, with this issue there was no consultation. There are enough MPs fighting the causes for NHS, and banging its drum, but we also have other issues which are of interest to other residents and this is one of them. We also have a pending referendum on Europe, so there is some ability to have an opinion. The fact more haven’t complained simply shows either apathy, deafness or not knowing how to. Thank you John for your efforts.
October 18, 2015
The constant noise of aircraft over Earley has become a real nuisance. I’m glad Mr Redwood is taking this forward on behalf of the residents.
October 19, 2015
On behalf of the 100’s and 100’s of people who have never experienced such terrible noise from as early at 4.30am untill 11.30 pm continually day after day, we thank you Mr Redwood for fighting this. Heathrow noise line from this area has been inundated with complaints about concentrated flight paths for 7 months now. Social media groups have 100’s of members all saying the same thing across Wokingham, Crowthorne and Bracknell . And it seems other areas are experiencing this dreadful issue also. So thank you for your efforts and lets hope something will change very very soon.