Don welcomes quieter skies over Bath

11.18.49am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Aug 2006

Following a successful campaign by Don Foster and countless Bath residents, today should see the start of quieter skies over Bath as changes to the incoming flight path to Bristol Airport come into force.

A "Class D Controlled Airspace" is being introduced over Bath, so that incoming flights to Bristol will begin their descent further from the city centre (at the far western edge of Bath) and at 4,000 ft. which is 1,000 feet higher than at present. Incoming flights currently fly over the north of Bath at an altitude of around 3,000 ft

Commenting on the news, Don said:

"I am delighted that at last we will have quieter skies over Bath. The huge increase in flights to and from Bristol over the years has been a real pain in the neck for so many local residents.

"I have been assured by Bristol Airport that the changes will mean that Bath residents will be hardly aware of traffic into Bristol Airport.

"I have received countless letters from constituents about the noise created by the aircraft and it's good to see Bristol Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority at long last taking the views of local residents into consideration.

"I warmly congratulate the many local campaigners who have worked so hard for this move, including B&NES Cllr. Peter Edwards who has represented locals so well on the Airport Consultative Committee.

"However, this still does not address the issue of Bristol Airport's current expansion plans, to which I and many Bath residents remain strongly opposed. "