What is the Society doing about aircraft noise?
Melbourne Civic Society is a member of East Midlands Airport’s Consultative Committee known as the Independent Consultative Committee (ICC), where a wide range of airport related issues are discussed and of the Monitoring, Environment, Noise and Track keeping (MENT) technical subcommittee, which concentrates on noise and environmental issues.
At these meetings we present our members’ concerns on noise, especially night noise, and track keeping, directly to the airport management and we press them to reduce the adverse impacts of the airport on its immediate neighbours.
In 2023, the airport is reviewing the aircraft take-off and landing routes, a most important
exercise which will affect aircraft noise levels around Melbourne for many years to
come. We are contributing to this complex process at every stage. In November 2022,
the airport presented possible route options to a number of ‘stakeholders’ including the
Civic Society, and we made comprehensive comments on these, suggesting variations
which we considered beneficial. In the light of all the comments received the route
options are now (April 2023) being technically reviewed by the airport and the Civil
Aviation Authority followed by a public consultation in 2023.
The Society conducted an Aircraft Noise Survey in November 2022, to identify locations of those people in the communities to the west of the Airport significantly affected by aircraft noise. This survey was open to non-members and will inform our comments to the airport on the route options. A copy can be viewed here.
https://melbournecivicsociety.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/mcsaircraftnoisesurveyctober2022.pdf
In the longer term we influence the content of the 5 yearly airport development plans and noise action plans, and closely monitor progress made on environmental issues against the promises in these plans.
We respond to national and local aviation consultations like the Department for Transport’s national consultation on night flying restrictions (September 2021). Where appropriate we encourage our members to respond individually to aviation consultations, offering clarification of the more complex aviation issues along with suggested themes which members may use in their own responses.
We are informed of national and international developments in aviation environmental issues through our membership of a national association of airport residents’ groups called the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF).
Melbourne Civic Society
April 2023
Melbourne Civic Society 