WELCOME TO FELSTED

The following is a news update regarding our bus services, as written by Bryan Grimshaw.

For a rural area we are quite fortunate to have two regular bus services.

The 133 (Arriva) between Stansted airport and Braintree is part-funded by Stansted airport. It runs approximately hourly and the new timetable restores our 9.35am service towards Stansted, plus a later bus leaving Braintree at 11.15pm. The fact that the majority of services now start and finish at Braintree should make timekeeping even better.

The 16 (Stephensons) from Wethersfield to Chelmsford runs four times a day in both directions, but this service is very much under threat.

It is fully funded by Essex County Council and the subsidy is currently above their limit of £5 per passenger journey, which means that it could be withdrawn at any time. So please use this bus, whether you are paying the fare or using a concessionary pass; the journey to Chelmsford would be much less convenient without it. Remember that it also calls at Broomfield hospital.

There is good news for users of the old 314 service to Braintree. This route is now being covered by the DRT2 service of Arrow Taxis. DRT stands for Demand Responsive Transport, and this means that you must “book” the bus in advance. If you wish to travel from Bannister Green, Cock Green, Willows Green or Bartholomew Green, leaving around 10am and returning at 1pm on Wednesday or Saturday, you should call 01621 874411 (if it’s the first time, ask for Andy Ambrose).

The bus is free to concessionary pass holders but of course fare-paying passengers are also welcome.

You are welcome to telephone Bryan Grimshaw on 01371 820730 to help with arranging DRT (it’s easy after your first booking!) or for any other information on our bus services.

Please use our buses.

On Tuesday 15 November Stansted airport, in partnership with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), held a drop-in session in Felsted.

The event was organised to give residents the opportunity to tell the airport, NATS and the CAA just how disruptive flightpath changes have been to their lives.

You can read the full story of the changes, and how your Parish Council has been fighting them, here.

The session was extremely well attended, so much so that the 100 comment cards provided by the airport ran out before the session was half way through.

The arguments we have presented are:

• The change was implemented despite 86% of respondees saying no, including Uttlesford District Council.
• This has doubled the number of planes using the Clacton route over Felsted Parish.
• We are not NIMBYS, we accept our share of flights, but not everyone else’s share too.
• The change has resulted in an unacceptable increase in noise over rural communities, including Felsted.
• At the February 2017 review, the change should be reversed and actions taken to share the noise burden rather than focus it on the few.

At the meeting we learnt the following:

• Our complaints are being heard. They will form a very important input to the change review, due to take place in February 2017. This review will decide if the change should be reversed, modified or approved. It is vital that everyone continues to have their voice heard. If you are disturbed by a noisy plane, or want to complain about the overall noise increase from the change in flightpath usage, then please do so here. 

• Current government guidance is to concentrate planes on fewer people, rather than share the noise disturbance. Meanwhile in America they follow principles of dispersal. New UK guidance is due to be released for public consultation in January/February. It is anticipated that this will follow the American model, proposing changes which would reduce acceptable noise levels and provide for dispersal of the noise burden. This consultation will likely be valuable to our cause, providing a mechanism to introduce the dispersal of flights and so share the noise burden.
• We will share news about this consultation through the website, so please register for news alerts using the email box below.

For more information please contact Cllr Andy Bennett

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To receive notification of local news items as they are posted on this site by Felsted Parish Council, please enter your email address in the box at the bottom of this page. Your details will never be passed on and only ever used for this purpose.

In February of this year Stansted airport changed its flightpath usage.

The result is that planes, which previously headed south on the ‘Dover’ route, were moved to the ‘Clacton’ route, which passes over the Parish of Felsted. This has resulted in a massive increase in noise disturbance in the Parish and a ten fold increase in complaints logged against Stansted airport.

Read our earlier news items here for more background.

There is a review of this flightpath change in February 2017. The airport are currently gathering views and opinions from residents to feed into the review.

On Tuesday 15 November, at 4-8pm, in the Felsted Memorial Hall, Braintree Rd, CM6 3DS, Stansted airport is holding a drop-in session, in partnership with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), to discuss residents’ concerns and share further information regarding airspace changes.

It is important to remember that the airport is currently operating at half capacity and is about to submit a planning application to build a new terminal building. Noise disturbance will inevitably get even worse as flights increase, unless we make our voices heard, by calling to have the changes reversed, and have measures introduced to reduce disturbance.

Whilst you might be thinking that noise levels have reduced in the last few weeks, this is because Stansted is in its quieter winter schedule.

Your council is doing all it can. We have worked with Stebbing and High Easter Parish councils, to secure a letter from Uttlesford District Council, calling for the flightpath changes to be reversed. We have also attended a Stansted Airport Consultation Committee (STACC) meeting to request the same from them.

It is vitally important that you, as Parish residents, now take this opportunity to speak directly with representatives from Stansted airport and have your say.

Do not miss this opportunity.

For more information please contact Cllr Andy Bennett

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To receive notification of local news items as they are posted on this site by Felsted Parish Council, please enter your email address in the box at the bottom of this page. Your details will never be passed on and only ever used for this purpose.