ALTON Town Council has registered strong objection to planned changes to the airspace around TAG Farnborough Airport – the consultation period for which has now been extended to November 2.

The proposals, councillors claim, would increase noise and have a detrimental effect on the environment and their impact on people living in Alton and its surrounding villages, would be “disproportionate” to the volume of traffic using the airport.

In a letter to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is responsible for assessing the airspace change proposal, councillor Graham Hill, then chairman of Alton Town Council planning and transportation committee, further points out that the council fears the proposed changes would create choke points for aviators operating outside the claimed airspace, leading to increased risk of collision. They also believe the changes would adversely affect the viability of Lasham Gliding Society (LGS), which could result in the airfield being sold, with the loss of around 300 or more jobs sustained by LGS.

Given that Alton has a population of around 18,000, according to Mr Hill: “The impact on the town would be substantial.

The town council has also criticised TAG Farnborough’s consultation. Mr Hill pointed out that 2,669 people have responded to date, “the majority overwhelmingly negative”, and yet “TAG has not addressed many of the responses”.

Furthermore, he said, many potential consultees were not informed of the consultation and so did respond.

East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) has expressed similar “deep concerns” about the noise and environmental impact of proposals, which councillors fear “would lead to more planes flying lower over parts of East Hampshire.”

During a full council debate on September 22, councillors said they needed more information from TAG Farnborough detailing noise levels and pollution.

Such is their concern that EHDC leader Ferris Cowper and East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds have asked to meet CAA representatives to discuss the plans.

“The proposals represent an unacceptable intrusion into the right to a peaceful existence,” Mr Cowper said.

TAG Farnborough Airport currently uses Class G airspace (uncontrolled airspace), which is shared with other airports and general aviation users. However, it wants to introduce a new area of “controlled” airspace, which it says will make movements safer and more predictable. It has stated: “The proposed airspace design would offer all airspace users predictability and consistency of operations, leading to further reductions in noise and CO2 emissions.

“This could result in more precise and efficient inbound and outbound flight paths, leading to fewer flights at low altitudes as arriving aircraft will remain higher for longer and departing aircraft will climb higher more quickly, as well as a net reduction in people overflown.”

But the town council points out that, far from being “predictable”, the original proposed arrival and departure routes appear to have been changed, but have not been consulted on. Nor have they been published as they are considered commercially confidential.

With the its future in jeopardy, LGS is questioning why the airport finds it necessary to apply to lower the base of controlled airspace when it clearly states that there would be fewer flights at low altitudes.

In a statement LGS said: “The whole purpose of the TAG proposal is departure and arrival routes which will be programmed into the aircraft navigation systems and flown highly accurately and repetitively. In August 2015, Lasham requested details of the routes and the vertical constraints under a Freedom of Information request. The CAA confirmed that they had received these routes in the application that was submitted by TAG/NATS (National Air Traffic Services) on July 15, but that they were confidential. We appealed, and this was also rejected. TAG/NATS has still not published these routes in the new consultation. TAG/NATS claimed at a meeting in Midhurst on September 20 that these routes cannot be published as they are not yet finished after nearly two years of consultation and discussion.”

LGS added: “Lasham welcomes the extension of the consultation period, but for people to understand the effect of the proposals, they need to publish the actual routes and vertical constraints.”