Luton Airspace now comprises new flightpaths and holding stack area across northern parts of South Cambridgeshire and into Huntingdonshire. The changes took effect in February 2022 with the permission of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS). The changes are now causing a lot of havoc to many villages in South Cambridgeshire.
What is the Luton Airspace Change?
The Luton Airspace changes are for aircrafts arriving at London Luton Airport (LLA) from Europe. These aircrafts previously flew over southern parts of South Cambridgeshire to access the Stansted-Luton LOREL stack over Royston. They are now re-routing towards a new stack over Graffham Waters in Huntingdonshire.
This means there is now a significant increase in air traffic over a large rural area that did not have these before February 2022. These areas include southern parts of East Cambridgeshire, northern parts of the Greater Cambridge region and south east Huntingdonshire.
The proposal stated that overflying aircraft will be operating at a height of 11000-8000ft in these areas, meaning potential impact on communities. should be minimal. But that is not the experience of the communities today.
Luton Airspace Changes Options
The Luton Airspace changes proposal was presented to communities in a virtual public consultation from 19 October 2020 to 5 February 2021. You may notice this public consultation happened during the Covid19 pandemic lockdown.
So there were two options to consider as described in the consultation document. And the areas over which the aircrafts are to fly is in this diagram.
Option 1: seeks to establish a new airborne hold, or stack, with associated airspace and air routes, above approximately 8,000ft. From that new hold, the method air traffic controllers use to bring arrivals from 8,000ft to the runway would be similar to today. By providing each aircraft with heading, descent and speed instructions, manually managing each flight (known as vectoring). This reduces complexity and minimises the change from today’s flightpaths at lower altitudes.
In simple terms, it means aircraft will be directed straight to the new holding and then talked down into Luton Airport by a controller.
Option 2: also seeks to establish a new airborne hold, or stack, with associated airspace and air routes, at 8,000ft and above. From that new hold, air traffic controllers would still use the vectoring method to descend aircraft to the runway. However, there would also be a number of predetermined arrival flightpaths. These are paths which aircraft could fly automatically and without intervention by controllers. These predetermined arrival flightpaths would reduce air traffic complexity even more than the first option. That makes this option the LLA preferred option.
In simple terms, it means there are “new” flightpaths not going to the new Luton Airspace holding stack but directly to Luton. Those new flightpaths are not in any list in the public domain. Meaning the information in the consultation document is incomplete.
Consultation Responses
Three local authorities in our area sent in responses to the LLA consultation. They are
- South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC)
- Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC)
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA)
Just click on each of the names to read the full responses which express dissatisfaction with LLA and the airspace change process. It transpires that both SCDC and CCC did not get invitation to attend early stakeholder meetings in 2019. So they have no indication of any of the other alternatives that could have been use to achieve the Luton Airspace change in a better way. The Councils asked LLA for more data to give the opportunity for a better impact assessment but it was not forthcoming.
Furthermore, LLA is undergoing a Development Consent Order (DCO) process with the Planning Inspectorate to expand the airport. The Luton Airspace changes is not included in that DCO process. Which means the airspace change is only considering current or pre-covid traffic levels, and not the increased air traffic flights that will occur if the airport gets the permission.
So there is a misrepresentation going on even in the LLA expansion plans to the Planning Inspectorate. This by extension also means the residents living under the new airspace routes are being misled as to the traffic levels to expect.
What is the effect of Airspace changes on South Cambridgeshire?
The consultation documentation is still available to the public, and is clearly impenetrable and difficult to read. It does not contain any indication of where aircraft could fly automatically with no say so from the Controllers. It does not have any noise maps for the holding area being proposed or number of aircrafts that would use it. A data set indicating the air traffic flight levels pre-pandemic would be useful for impact assessment but LLA is not making it available publicly. In effect, the way in which LLA conducted the consultation means the is difficult to robustly assess the potential adverse impact of the changes on communities. One has to wonder if this is a deliberate ploy by Luton Airport.
According to the consultation material, the village of Gamlingay was going to be the most affected in South Cambridgeshire. But that is not what is happening now. Flights are being re-routed across villages in Caldecote ward. These are Caldecote, Bourn, Kingston, Longstowe and Little Gransden, the last two being closer to Gamlingay than the others. Many residents in these villages are experiencing aircraft noise during the day and night. I head aircraft travelling across Caldecote at around 1.35am one Saturday night. I received messages that Sunday morning from other people in the area reporting hearing the planes resulting in broken and sleepless night.
There are negative reports from many other villages such as Cambourne, Papworth Everard, Hatley, Great Gransden, Waresley, Potton, Great Paxton, Hilton, Abbotsley, Croydon, Little Paxton, Tadlow, East Hatley, Staploe, Yelling, Fenstanton, Eltisley, Grafham, Sutton, Cockayne, Perry and Wrestlingworth.
Impact on Wellbeing
Placing significant noise nuisance over quiet rural area has a much more serious impact than over more populous or infrastructure areas. It is especially important as most of this area is rural and ambient noise levels are low. Exposure to loud noises such as constant low flying aircraft can have a detrimental and adverse impact on people’s quality of life. It is causing significant disturbance to local communities with negative effects on people’s health, sleep, mental health and general wellbeing. For some, it is impacting the right to enjoyment of homes and gardens. Aircraft was not supposed to fly lower than 8000 ft across these areas, but they are. We know that because we can see the painted logos on them if we are outside in our gardens.
Noise pollution also impacts the health and well-being of animals and wildlife. I have received reports of concern from horse owners in neighbouring Hardwick.
Impact on Climate Change and Environment
In 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. The target requires the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The Luton Airspace Consultation document stated that the average LLA arrival in 2022 is expected to increase fuel use by c.89kg, as well as emitting c.285kg more carbon dioxide (CO2e).
Some of the noise being heard now especially on the new routes is of the air planes breaking as they come in to land, emitting more CO2e. The sound of the airbrakes is a whining sound as the aircrafts descend. Airport expansion and increase in flights will only increase fuel and emissions.
What are the next steps?
The Luton Airspace change is now in the 12-month post-implementation review stage starting 1st June 2022 to end on 31st May 2023. LLA state that they will receive information and reports during this period, and analyse at the end of it. This is to establish how well the changes are working and if they meet the objectives for which they changes are made. The CAA will analyse data to find out if the objective of the AD6 proposal is met. If not, then the change sponsors LLA and NATS will need to consider changes that can be made to modify it or make another change request!
This means that anyone experiencing an increase in noise due to aircraft should keep a diary of the disturbing event. Send in the reports to LLA regularly so there is a good data to inform the post implementation review.
A community group is working on this matter with a view to being the voice of local community in this area who are affected by this Luton Airspace change.