Up to 400,000 homes could receive compensation over ‘excess noise’ at Heathrow

Up to 400,000 households could receive compensation for the excess noise they receive after Heathrow’s third runway is built.   

It is thought the airport is near to identifying homes around west London which could be in line to receive up to £3,000 to pay for noise insulation.   

According to The Times, sources said about 400,000 homes, could make a claim.

Up to 400,000 households could receive compensation for the excess noise they receive after Heathrow’s third runway is built

The figure, which amounts to 920,000 people, represents all people that will be affected by noise from the airport ,which has not yet published details of new flights created as a result of the new runway.   

Critics claim the assessment was a ‘gross underestimation’, and that up to 970,000 homes and 2.2 million people would be subjected to extra airport noise.

The airport wants to build a two-mile runway northwest of the existing site by 2026. 

This would increase the maximum number of flights in and out of the airport from 480,000 to 740,000 a year, accommodating 130 million passengers. 

 Heathrow will start a legal consultation in the new year setting out the fine detail of its plans, which will involve demolishing an estimated 783 homes around the airport.

By law, the airport has to write to any property owner who could be entitled to make a compensation claim after being adversely affected by the plan. 

The Times has learnt that the airport has identified about 400,000 property owners in west London who fall into this category. They are likely to be concentrated in areas such as Hounslow. 

With an average of 2.3 people per home, this adds up to about 920,000 residents. These people may be entitled to up to £3,000 to pay for acoustic insulation, such as new windows or possibly roofing, although any application would be subject to an independent assessment. 

Heathrow said yesterday that it was still in the process of assessing how many homes may be affected and did not recognise the figure of 400,000 properties. 

Previous studies have estimated that 585,600 people are affected by noise at a two-runway Heathrow. 

Critics said that the airport was downplaying the impact of noise.

 Figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority after a freedom of information request this year showed that as many as 973,000 households, or roughly 2.2 million people, could experience daytime noise by 2050. 

Robert Barnstone, from the Stop Heathrow Expansion campaign group, called the 400,000 figure a ‘gross underestimation’.

 A Heathrow spokeswoman told the Times: ‘The location of new flight paths around an expanded Heathrow cannot be finalised until we receive feedback from the public, following a formal consultation process. 

This is why it is so important for our neighbours to feed into this consultation, and have their say on airspace design around Heathrow. 

‘These consultation events will also give us further opportunity to inform local residents of the extensive noise mitigation proposals we have in place, including a noise insulation offer worth over £700 million.’   

The row over the number of affected by the noise comes as the first official application for a legal challenge against the government’s decision to support a third runway had been lodged at the High Court.

The application for a judicial review was made by Neil Spurrier, a lawyer from southwest London.

Mr Spurrier says an additional runway would create ‘unwarranted noise and pollution’ that infringed his human rights.

What’s more five local authorities, supported by the London mayor and Greenpeace, are expected to make its own judicial review application next week. 

 



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk