In Welwyn, have you recently been irritated or disturbed by the noise of an aircraft taking off or landing at Luton Airport?

If you have, then you are certain to be interested in, and supportive of, the work being undertaken by a group of volunteers nearby who operate under the banner LADACAN which stands for Luton And District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise.

LADACAN has a very good website which will keep you up-to-date with all their latest activities and actions. Click on LADACAN now, or go to our Links Page when you have more time.

Their website presents an easy to read summary of:

What is currently happening?
Luton Airport has just completed a consultation on the introduction of a new technology called RNAV to control aircraft navigation. It is intended to keep aircraft more closely on the designated routes, though the initial trials in spring of 2013 showed that there were problems with accuracy. The results of the consultation will be announced shortly – for more details click here >>

The Noise Action Plan for Luton Airport is currently being reviewed and updated, and LADACAN is involved in the consultation. The plan – often dubbed a Noise Inaction Plan – is woefully short of real actions designed to drive down noise, and we are seeking to influence the airport operators LLAOL to give it more teeth. For more on this story and to see the LADACAN response, click here >>

The Planning Conditions which emerged as a result of the recently granted expansion planning application represent a new approach to trying to control noise, using a Quota Count system. People feel that while quota counts may incentivise the use of slightly quieter aircraft, they permit many more flights – and it is planes going overhead which annoy them. For more on this story and to see the LADACAN input, click here >>