1. AOA ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE PLANNING & NOISE Jon Bottomley Principal Planner M.A.G

2. ICAO BALANCED APPROACH - PLANNING Planning Instruments – Interventionist, noise zoning, transfer of development rights, acquisition Mitigation Instruments – Building Regulations, SIGS, land acquisition & relocation, transaction assistance, local searches, physical mitigation Financial Instruments – Tax incentives, noise related charges, funding mitigation and community measures 2

3. REDUCING NOISE CONTOURS 3

4. POPULATION ENCROACHMENT Where contours have shrunk land has become available for development – largely in the outer contours (9% increase). Most significant at LHR 4

5. PLANNING POLICY UK system – plan led – nationally – 1990 Act, 2012 NPPF Other national policy – Aviation Policy Framework, EIA Directive, EU Noise Directive etc etc… Regional planning? Local Plans – the statutory starting point. Development must accord unless there are material considerations that indicate otherwise 5

6. DEVELOPMENT CONTROL Airports are consultees for developments in the local area. Statutory for safeguarding, but important stakeholders for other developments. Conditions must be; necessary; relevant to planning; relevant to the development; enforceable; precise; and reasonable. Standard policies for noise sensitive development – Noise Exposure Categories – PPG24 6

7. IS THE PLANNING SYSTEM DELIVERING? The NPPF is now 65 pages, scope for challenge on interpretation Other areas of regulation remain – Sustainability Appraisals, EIA Regs etc. Proportionate to the policy / development Increasing quantity of material required to support planning applications and associated procedures Statutory Consultees (EA, NE, HA) Caution in decision-making? Judicial Review 7

8. THE NEED FOR BETTER PLANNING GUIDANCE PPG24 has been deleted – its aim was to ensure noise sensitive development is compatible with existing noisy developments Noise Exposure Categories gave a national mechanism for controlling land use around airports Better planning and control of inappropriate development Risk of inconsistent national and local policy on noise 8

9. A LACK OF CONSISTENCY? Aviation Policy Framework – to minimise and where possible reduce the number of people affected by aircraft noise Population encroachment LGW – new housing development in the 66dB contour LHR – some new planning policy does not recognise the Airport’s noise contours as a development constraint Safeguarding future airport capacity 9

10. A NEW APPROACH IS NEEDED A simplified NPPF is welcomed National metrics – provide a common starting point for LPA’s and certainty for airports To be included in DfT Aviation policy – a material consideration when determining applications? To be led by SA – national metrics; based on contours; guidance on policy and mitigation Cannot be delivered by airports alone – DCLG, LGA, LPA’s 10

11. CONCLUSIONS Significant noise improvements around airports have been achieved There is a need to protect areas affected by existing or future noise from population encroachment A consistent approach to planning policy in respect of noise sensitive development Shaping future local planning policy Consistency between Noise Action Plans and Master Plans 11