MANCHESTER Airport’s Noise Action Plan does not fulfil its obligations to reduce the harmful health effects of noise, in particular at night time.

That is the view of Knutsford Town Council in its response to the airport’s consultation on the plan for 2019 to 2023.

The council’s airport working group prepared a response to the consultation with local experts on airport operations.

“With an increasing number of flights arriving and departing from the airport, retaining a fixed percentage restriction on total movements allows for increased noise disturbance to residents within the maximum quota count, which has not yet been reached,” said the council.

“The council is asking for this number to reduce, particularly in relation to the use of Runway 2 at night, removing pricing incentives which entice the no-frills airlines to make flights at night during the summer.

“Residents living within the 63dB contour are currently eligible for the Sound Insulation Grant scheme.

“The town council also requests a programme of works to reduce the impact of noise discernible at ground level to those who live within the 54dB contour.”

The council is suggesting the airport commissions independent specialists to measure and report its performance against its legislative and regulatory requirements each year to ensure openness and transparency on quality assured data in the future.

The airport working group said night noise was the major issue for Knutsford over the plan period.

It said: “This is because the level of noise disturbance at night increases with the number of flights, and if the airport continues its only restriction on total movements (and noise) at night to a percentage of all movements (and noise), these numbers will increase by 66 per cent when the MANTP expansion is completed in 2020.

“The council would therefore like Manchester Airport to look again at its operations to reduce the maximum Quota Count for Night Noise at the airport to the same as Heathrow.

“There is no reason the people of Stockport, Cheadle, Mobberley and Knutsford should have less protection from the known deleterious health effects of sleep disturbance than the people around Heathrow.

“Manchester Airport should commission research on the health effects of aircraft noise (especially at night) on the people who live around the airport to ensure it is meeting regulatory requirements to reduce these effects over time.

“It should also expand and update its spending on mitigation for those poor souls affected night and day by the airport traffic’s noise.”

The consultation runs until August 21.