STANSTED Airport has launched a 16-week public consultation on its proposed plans to continue minimising aircraft noise impacts over the next five years. The UK s third busiest airport is seeking views on its proposed Noise Action Plan and will hold a ser

STANSTED Airport has launched a 16-week public consultation on its proposed plans to continue minimising aircraft noise impacts over the next five years.

The UK's third busiest airport is seeking views on its proposed Noise Action Plan and will hold a series of noise briefings in local towns and villages affected by aircraft noise during August and September. The consultation will run until Friday, October 2, 2009.

Stewart Wingate, Stansted Airport's managing director, said: "This will be one of the most comprehensive public consultations on aircraft noise ever carried out by Stansted Airport. We want to know what people think of our draft plans for the next five years before we finalise them for submission to the Government later in 2009.

"Our challenge is to manage the issue of aircraft noise in a pro-active, professional yet sensitive way as we understand it can be a real concern for our local community. We're also determined to take appropriate actions to reduce and mitigate against aircraft noise where we can - this is the right and responsible thing to do."

Stansted is required to publish a noise action plan as part of EU and UK environmental regulations. The proposed plan will run for a five-year period from 2010-2015 and aims to manage and, where possible, reduce the impact of noise from the various aircraft types that operate at the airport. A final Noise Action Plan will be produced by the end of 2009.

Stansted Airport's head of environment, Dr Andy Jefferson, added: "Here at Stansted we pride ourselves on the pro-active way the airport monitors and reports on both aircraft noise and track-keeping. We've also worked hard to successfully reduce the impact of aircraft noise as we've developed and grown the airport, and today we have one of the most modern aircraft fleets of any UK airport."

He added: "Aircraft are 75 per cent quieter than they were thirty years ago, and the industry has already set itself the target of a further 50 per cent reduction in 2000 levels by 2020 but we know there is always more we can strive to do."

As part of the consultation, Stansted has written to individuals and groups across the Eastern region, including Members of Parliament and local authority leaders.

Copies of the action plan and feedback questionnaire are available online at www.stanstedairport.com/noise. Paper copies of either document can be obtained by calling the Consultation Hotline on 01279 662800 or e-mail stanstednoiseline@baa.com

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