Greater Norwich Local Plan Gypsy and Traveller Sites Focused Consultation
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Greater Norwich Local Plan Gypsy and Traveller Sites Focused Consultation
Policy GNLP5021
Representation ID: 24795
Received: 03/03/2023
Respondent: Regional & City Airports Limited on behalf of Norwich Airport Limited
Norwich Airport Limited (NAL) does not object to the principle of creation or extension of gypsy and traveller sites and indeed encourages such creation and expansion to provide much needed facilities for a growing portion of society. However, it recognises that such facilities must be located in positions that not only give sufficient access to existing amenities, roads, schools etc but also provide sufficient protection to the occupants of such sites from adverse conditions and impacts in that location.
The proposed expansion of site GNLP5021 at Holt Road, Horsford will serve to increase the exposure of the occupiers to repeated adverse noise intrusion from departing/arriving offshore helicopter traffic which is, at that point, low flying over the site being close to the runway threshold.
Norwich Airport promotes the routing of helicopters serving the Southern North Sea Gas Rigs away from larger and mid sized residential communities as far as is possible. At the western end of the Airport Runway09, helicopters are immediately routed northwards, or approach from the north, to avoid the neighbouring communities of Hellesdon to the southwest, Drayton and Taverham to the west and Horsford to the northwest in sofar as this is possible. This takes the rising or descending helicopters directly above the proposed gypsy and traveller site at relatively low level. To avoid adversely affecting any increased number of residents in these conurbations to a greater extent than at present, it is not reasonable to divert the routings further in order to improve matters above Holt Road Horsford at this point.
Norwich Airport Strategic Mapping undertaken in 2021 indicates that the Long term weighted average noise levels in the vicinity of the site are around 50-54dB Lden which, although below thresholds for active noise measures to be introduced, will undoubtedly give rise to annoyance and intrusion for residents due to the nature of helicopter noise itself and the longer exposure due to slower moving aircraft.
There is a well catalogued history of noise complaint from similar over-flying of mobile homes by helicopters at Stratton Strawless to the north of the airport. This has been recognised in no small part to be exacerbated by the design of the mobile homes and their inability to sufficiently mitigate against noise of this nature. It is likely that the mobile homes of the gypsy and traveller communities utilising the site at Holt Road Horsford would suffer in similar fashion from poorer acoustic performance, giving rise to disturbance from early morning, 06.30 start times, to late evenings in summer, 21.00 finish times.
This site, due to its proximity to relatively lower flying and slower moving helicopters with their attendant noise impacts is not therefore suitable for gypsy and traveller pitches given the poor acoustic performance of mobile homes. No insertion of acoustic fencing will compensate for the impacts, unlike the mitigation of road noise , which is addressed in the site assessment document.
Norwich Airport takes the wellbeing of its neighbouring communities very seriously and recognises the adverse impacts that its normal opertaions will undoubtedly have upon this particular location, with the anticipated quality and acoustic limitations of the accommodation most likely to be sited here. It therefore objects to the allocation of this site as intended so as to avoid causing disturbance to likely future residents and giving rise to future conflict over a pre-existing impact upon this particular location.
Norwich Airport Limited (NAL) does not object to the principle of creation or extension of gypsy and traveller sites and indeed encourages such creation and expansion to provide much needed facilities for a growing portion of society. However, it recognises that such facilities must be located in positions that not only give sufficient access to existing amenities, roads, schools etc but also provide sufficient protection to the occupants of such sites from adverse conditions and impacts in that location.
The proposed expansion of site GNLP5021 at Holt Road, Horsford will serve to increase the exposure of the occupiers to repeated adverse noise intrusion from departing/arriving offshore helicopter traffic which is, at that point, low flying over the site being close to the runway threshold.
Norwich Airport promotes the routing of helicopters serving the Southern North Sea Gas Rigs away from larger and mid sized residential communities as far as is possible. At the western end of the Airport Runway09, helicopters are immediately routed northwards, or approach from the north, to avoid the neighbouring communities of Hellesdon to the southwest, Drayton and Taverham to the west and Horsford to the northwest in sofar as this is possible. This takes the rising or descending helicopters directly above the proposed gypsy and traveller site at relatively low level. To avoid adversely affecting any increased number of residents in these conurbations to a greater extent than at present, it is not reasonable to divert the routings further in order to improve matters above Holt Road Horsford at this point.
Norwich Airport Strategic Mapping undertaken in 2021 indicates that the Long term weighted average noise levels in the vicinity of the site are around 50-54dB Lden which, although below thresholds for active noise measures to be introduced, will undoubtedly give rise to annoyance and intrusion for residents due to the nature of helicopter noise itself and the longer exposure due to slower moving aircraft.
There is a well catalogued history of noise complaint from similar over-flying of mobile homes by helicopters at Stratton Strawless to the north of the airport. This has been recognised in no small part to be exacerbated by the design of the mobile homes and their inability to sufficiently mitigate against noise of this nature. It is likely that the mobile homes of the gypsy and traveller communities utilising the site at Holt Road Horsford would suffer in similar fashion from poorer acoustic performance, giving rise to disturbance from early morning, 06.30 start times, to late evenings in summer, 21.00 finish times.
This site, due to its proximity to relatively lower flying and slower moving helicopters with their attendant noise impacts is not therefore suitable for gypsy and traveller pitches given the poor acoustic performance of mobile homes. No insertion of acoustic fencing will compensate for the impacts, unlike the mitigation of road noise , which is addressed in the site assessment document.
Norwich Airport takes the wellbeing of its neighbouring communities very seriously and recognises the adverse impacts that its normal opertaions will undoubtedly have upon this particular location, with the anticipated quality and acoustic limitations of the accommodation most likely to be sited here. It therefore objects to the allocation of this site as intended so as to avoid causing disturbance to likely future residents and giving rise to future conflict over a pre-existing impact upon this particular location.
