Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to survey local communities on the effect on quality of life of aircraft noise below 51 dB LAeq.

This matter was raised in the department’s Airspace and Noise Engagement Group, which is a formal channel of communication between the department and airspace and airport noise stakeholders, and also with the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN). As they discussed, the department is considering the need to commission a further Survey of Noise Attitudes to provide updated evidence on the effects of aircraft noise on annoyance, wellbeing and health.

The extent to which this survey could include communities living in contours below 51 dB LAeq, is dependent on reliable measurement and modelling of aircraft noise at lower aircraft noise levels. This is currently difficult to achieve, but future technological solutions around sound processing are expected to assist.