Mr. HaslehurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is able to announce his proposals for amended noise preferential routes for aircraft taking off from Stansted.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyWe are committed to taking various measures to mitigate noise disturbance at Stansted as air traffic builds up, including the use of noise preferential routes.
My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for aviation and shipping has today sent a consultation paper to my hon. Friend, other hon. Members with constituencies near Stansted, local authorities and the Airport Consultative Committee seeking their views on proposals for additional departure routes which have been developed in consultation with National Air Traffic Services.
Our proposals will concentrate aircraft taking off on a small number of specified routes designed to avoid, so far as is possible, major built-up areas. Once they are fixed, we expect the routes to remain so indefinitely, so that people will know where aircraft noise may be experienced.
530WMy noble Friend is seeking comments by 29 January and expects to announce his decisions about the new route structure during February. The new routes would come into effect next summer.