LONDON – London City Airport’s plans to extend flying hours times on Saturdays have been foiled as the proposal has been unanimously rejected.
In this regard, Newham Council’s strategic development committee voted against the proposals on Monday.
The development comes as around 1,600 people living near the East London airport raised objections against the proposal, alongside eight other London councils that also cited concerns about noise.
The London airport was determined and hoped to see a change to the “weekend respite” rule that has been in force for the past 25 years.
Under current rules, planes are barred from flying between 1pm on Saturdays and 12.30pm on Sundays so residents can have a noise-free environment for some time.
The proposal entailed extending flying times to 7.30 pm during the summer and 6.30 pm at other times of year, as well as increasing the daily limit of flights from six to nine between 6.30am and 7am but the hopes have dashed now.
Lewisham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Southwark, Greenwich, Havering, Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils all submitted objections to Newham Council following which it was confirmed that the existing policy stays in place.
“Only yesterday afternoon I was in a garden in Custom House and it was impossible to sit and enjoy being there because of the noise – 24 hours of quiet time is not a lot to ask for those residents whose lives have been blighted,” Sarah Ruiz, councilor for the Custom House ward said as reported by BBC.
