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KENT INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (K.I.A.C.C.)
D
R A F T - subject to approval. Minutes of the meeting held at 2.00pm on Tuesday 15 September 2007 at the Passenger Terminal Building, Kent International Airport Present:
Paul Twyman
Chairman APOLOGIES Apologies for absence were received from John Bragg (Dover District Council), Matt Clark (Infratil), Jim Mannering (Cliffsend Residents’ Association) and Mike Roberts (Thanet District Council). 1. UPDATE FROM CHAIRMAN The Chairman welcomed all present. 2. SECRETARIAL ARRANGEMENTS 2.1 The Chairman reported that Brian White had identified a potential Secretary for the Committee, Pauline Hodding, who was present at the meeting and copies of her cv were distributed. Having answered questions from the Committee she withdrew during discussion of the position. IT WAS AGREED: To appoint Pauline Hodding as administrator/secretary to the Committee for an initial period of one year, the precise terms and conditions to be negotiated by the Chairman. 3. NOISE MONITORING 3.1
Brian White distributed copies of a noise level report for June/July
(Appendix 1), accepted that the data was incomplete and reported that
electronically captured noise data should be made available on the websites for
both Thanet District Council and Infratil.
Introductory text had been agreed for a comprehensive presentation which
would be available on the Thanet DC website in October 2007 showing average
levels, peaks and reference to trends plus a schedule of aircraft movements.
3.6 Brian White advised that the monitoring equipment was calibrated annually and the signal, once set, could not be altered. The need for an audit trail was agreed and he undertook to bring a future report to Committee on this issue. Thanet’s website would enable the public to identify aircraft and link to noise levels. 3.7 Malcolm Kircaldie pointed out that this would not necessarily follow if the aircraft were off route and referred to recent emails to Matt Clark regarding ineffective route monitoring. The Chairman advised that, with the aid of the website, individual aircraft could be identified and noise levels challenged. If the subsequent response from Infratil was not satisfactory the Committee could make a formal complaint. 3.8 Nicholas Cole identified the need for Committee to know when the maximum statistics were exceeded and why the overall noise situation was getting worse. He cited an increase of 30% in noise levels over 85dB in Ramsgate which Infratil should be required to explain. 3.9 The Chairman agreed that better airport management information was required and Infratil would be requested to provide this at the November meeting to include route plans. 3.10 Brian White explained the positioning of a noise meter at each end of the runway whereby noise levels at any point between them could be calculated and shown as noise contours. The mobile sound pressure level monitor was also used to check this calculation and could be moved to different points. The meter at St Nicholas was fixed and would remain and the Committee would benefit from information on trends to see if noise problems were getting worse.
IT WAS AGREED that the next meeting of the Committee be held on Tuesday 20 November 2007 at 2.00pm with the venue to be confirmed. 4. COMPLAINTS
4.2 Nicholas Cole stated that the complaints form was not readily accessible to the public, was not on the Infratil website and Monkton PC had its own stock of copies to distribute when required. Malcolm Kircaldie commented that the form had been compiled without consultation to aid those who had difficulty in formulating complaints. Future forms (written or electronic) needed to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act requirements. 4.3 Paragraph 15.1 of the Guidelines on Airport Consultative Committees required the aerodrome to have an agreed formal procedure for recording complaints about aircraft noise and other impacts of the aerodrome on the environment. Provision should be made for complaints to be made to the aerodrome management by telephone, electronically or in writing with the complainant providing their name, address, telephone number and sufficient detail to enable any investigation to be carried out. 4.4 Members gave instances of where the answerphone service provided by Infratil did not work so that complaints could not be recorded and Gerry Glover suggested a working party be formed to define a suitable complaints procedure for discussion at the November meeting. 4.5 The Chairman advised that he had already raised this matter with Matt Clark and it did not appear that Infratil appreciated the effective use of a complaints system to achieve good relations with the community. 4.6 Malcolm Kircaldie referred to a letter from the Department of Trade dated May 2006 which advised that the Department had no role in Consultative Committees and could not intervene. Were the Guidance not being adhered to remedy should be sought through the Courts and if the S106 stalled, mediation should be instigated. The Committee provided the safeguard to ensure enforcement of the S106 and was not receiving the necessary management information from the operators, including consultation over training flights. Review of the S106 agreement was long overdue. 4.7 Nicholas Cole reminded the Committee that training flights had been raised before but no response had been received. The Local Traffic Regulations had been promulgated in December 2005 by the CAA and stated that training flights should not take place between 1800 hours and 0700 hours with a maximum of training sessions and aircraft to use the airport per day. This had been changed earlier this year but the Committee had not been informed of the change, even at the last meeting which discussed ATC and noise. IT WAS AGREED:
5. COMMUNITY FUND 5.1 Three volunteers were required to advise on spending the fines money and handling bids. IT WAS AGREED: That the Chairman, Nicholas Cole and Ron Flaherty discuss this issue and bring it back in-house. 6. FUTURE MEETINGS 6.1 The next meeting of the Committee had been agreed for 20 November 2007.
7. ANY OTHER BUSINESS 7.1 The Chairman reported that Thanet Local Board was scheduled to meet at 6.30 for 7.00pm on 16 October at the (old) Ellington Girls’ School * and Mike Bodkin from KCC would be speaking about the Manston Business Park. The meeting ended at 4.25pm * NB KCC has now corrected this to the new school site. |