16 October 2006 1

The London Heliport Consultative Group

Colin Stanbury – Group Technical Adviser

Contents

21 March 2011 2

1. Heliport – Brief History

2. Current Situation

3. Vital Statistics

4. The Consultative Group

5. Issues – Past & Present

6. Helicopter Noise

7. The Future

Battersea – Heliport Location

21 March 2011 3

Heliport Location - continued

• View north / south along Thames

Battersea - History• Located in Lombard Road / riverside.

• The only licensed heliport serving London

• Planning Permission granted in 1958

• Subsequently operated under a series of permissions from the GLC until 1986 when LB Wandsworth became the local planning authority

• Movements limited to 12,000 atms / year*

• Normal limit of 80 atms / day*

• Normal operating hours 07:00 – 22:59

• Main traffic is “corporate” but shuttle services are a recent development .

Location – is now challenging

• Redevelopment of former neighbouring industrial sites with residential apartments

21 March 2011 6

20022011

London Heliport Consultative Group

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•Established by LB Wandsworth in 2006

•Initiative prompted by growing concerns among local residents about increased noise from the heliport

•Evidence base of increased annoyance drawn from the council’s website which provided for the first time in June 2006 information on the operation of Battersea Heliport

•Scores of “complaints” received on website about helicopter noise – mostly from occupants of new residential units on both south and north banks of The Thames

•July 2006 - GLA investigation into helicopter noise in London

16 October 2006 8

Consultative Committee - Constitution• Following GLA investigation DfT advised that the

government intended to ‘designate” Battersea under s.35 Civil Aviation Act (for purpose of consultation arrangements)

• A decision was taken to proceed with local committee after meeting with heliport operators

• Agreement reached to keep committee to 12 members maximum

• Heliport operators - 4No. Places to users

• Neighbouring authorities (Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea + 2 places for Wandsworth Councillors)

• 4 No. places for resident group representatives

• All meetings to open to the public / held twice yearly

Local Initiatives -• The heliport operates a published "fly neighbourly" policy which

requires pilots - so far as is possible -  to:

• Always fly as high as possible subject to Air Traffic Control clearance

• Maintain circuit height (1000ft) until final approach and on departure climb to circuit height as soon as possible

• Make all approaches and departures over the river

• Not to manoeuvre (other than approaches) below 500ft

• Limit ground running of engines to a maximum of five minutes

• Sanctions applied to pilots for non compliance with policy

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National Initiatives • Participation in Defra funded study –

NANR 235

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NANR 235 Study

• Study undertaken by Salford University

• Study involved world wide literature search, a survey of stakeholders, and

• A One-day Meeting carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Acoustics

• Objectives:

• to determine the issues and the extent of the reported problem of noise from helicopter operations in the UK, and to develop practical guidance on the management of helicopter noise, including improvements in the handling of complaints…

21 March 2011 11

NANR 235 – Main Conclusions

• Problems due to helicopter noise are centred on helicopter infrastructure such as holding areas, heliports and aerodromes.

• Helicopter noise is often not directly attributable to a

specific heliport or airfield.

• Within the stakeholder group evidence of opposition towards the development of heliports due to noise.

• There is no comprehensive UK database of helicopter movements – therefore impossible to objective determine the extent to which noise nuisance is a growing concern.

21 March 2011 12

NANR 235 – Additional Findings

• Helicopters can be up 15dB more annoying than fixed wing aircraft

• Helicopter noise levels alone do not account for annoyance trends in communities.

• There is no single satisfactory noise index for the measurement or prediction of the impact of noise on the community.

• Noise maps displaying Lden are not suitable to be used for the prediction of subjective response of communities to helicopter noise

21 March 2011 13

Battersea Consultative Committee• Established on a small budget

• In effect a “joint venture” between local authority and heliport operator

• Has ensured all complaints received by the heliport are reviewed every six months and discussed in public

• Provides the only forum in London for the Heliport Users / Operators to meet with local representatives

• Provides an opportunity to meet with Regulator – CAA

• The Consultative Group is recognised in its right by the DfT for the purposes of national consultation on Aviation Policy

21 March 2011 14

Battersea Heliport - Current Issues

• Noise concerns continue to dominate the agenda

• Increasing complaints about use of Police Helicopters locally

• Residents from Outer London seeking support of the committee to respond to issues not directly related to Battersea

• Additional future heliport provision in London effectively ruled out Mayor for London’s London Plan

21 March 2011 15

16 October 2006 16

Local Sound Levels – at 100m

London Heliport - Sound levels July 2011

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Battersea Heliport - Sound Data – 2007 / 2011

Heliport Sound Data 2007 _2011

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Any Questions?