Member News
By Mary Macleod MP - 24th May 2011
Mary Macleod MP says the time is right to consider the full impact of night flights at Heathrow airport on those that live under the flightpaths.
In Westminster Hall today, as part of Noise Action Week, I will discuss the latest evidence suggesting that night flights have a serious impact on the health of local residents.
We all know that having a disturbed night's sleep makes us less effective the next day, but recent research suggests that the implications could be far more long-lasting. New research from Warwick Medical School published in the European Heart Journal in February this year studied the experiences of hundreds of thousands of people across eight countries. They found that chronic lack of sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body that can have a severe impact on your health. They concluded that: "If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep, you stand a 48 per cent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15 per cent greater chance of developing or dying from a stroke."
The World Health Organisation and the HYENA report from Imperial College London also found that, even if people don’t wake up, there is evidence that noise from night flights causes immediate increases in blood pressure.
The latest World Health Organisation guidelines suggest that night-time noise should be kept at no more than 55 decibels to ensure no adverse affect on health (roughly equivalent to being in a noisy office). However, more than 20 miles from Heathrow, the actual noise of night flights can exceed 70 decibels and the effect can be even more pronounced given that the background noise level during the night is low.
The Department for Transport’s current consultation on future aviation strategy, recognises that "night noise is the least acceptable impact of aircraft operations" and that "it continues to be a major concern for local residents". It asks those that respond to the consultation to address the following question: "should extended periods of respite from night noise be considered, even if this resulted in increased frequency of flights before or after those respite periods?"
My view is that we should do all we can to extend the periods of respite from night noise for residents living near major airports such as Heathrow and it is our duty as we prepare the night flight agreement for Heathrow airport for 2012/2017 to consider fully how we can do this.
In this debate we will discuss what form that respite period could take. We will consider if there is a case for eliminating night flights during the night quota period altogether and what measures should be in place to mitigate for noise from aircraft for residents, schools and community buildings.
Mary Macleodhas been Conservative MP for Brentford and Isleworth since 2010.
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