Londoners' Lower Tolerance To Aircraft Noise Used To Halt Heathrow Airport Expansion

London, U.K. (AHN) - More Londoners are actually irked by the aircraft noise from Heathrow airport than the numbers indicated in a government-commissioned study in 1985.

As such, residents near the international hub said there is basis to stop the expansion of the airport on the basis of the key environmental issue. The Financial Times reports that not only will the building of a sixth terminal and a third runway greater noise pollution, these will also severely affect the already low air quality in the area.

HACAN, the Heathrow residents group, said the government has maintained that aircraft noise only started to annoy people when it averaged 57 decibels, citing a research conducted 22 years ago.

John Steward, HACAN chairman, said a newer study suggested marked irritation started at about 50 decibels, in line with findings of the World Health Organization.

The independent research, entitled Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England (Anase), was also commissioned by the government. The study concluded that despite the years of work the study had concluded it was "impossible to identify any particular level at which noise becomes a serious problem."

There were 258,000 residents living inside the 57 decibel area but more than two million living inside the 50 decibel noise range when the 2001 study was conducted.

Aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick said while the report puts the complex issue of aircraft noise in better perspective, it fails to give "robust figures on which it would be safe to change policy."

Nonetheless, the government will hold public discussions on the planned Heathrow this month.

The British Airport Authority, which operates Heathrow, said a third runway at Heathrow would allow an increase in flights from 480,000 a year to 655,000 in 2015. About ?7 billion ($14.62 billion) has been earmarked for the upgrade and expansion of the west London airport over the next decade.