CHAPTER 14 - APPROVAL OF SOUND PRINTS IN WEST CONFIGURATION (PREFERENTIAL)

14) On December 11th, 2003, the CSAAB approved the sound prints in WEST configuration; only the City Council of Castelldefels voted against it.

A) Which were the sound prints approved ?

B) Comparison between surround sound levels in WEST and EAST configurations

C) What was the discussion like in this meeting of the CSAAB ?

D) How did the City Council of El Prat de Llobregat react ?

E) What actions did the City Council of Castelldefels initiate ?

 

 

A) WHICH WERE THE SOUND PRINTS APPROVED ?

During the sixteenth meeting of the CSAAB (December 11th, 2003), the daytime surround sound level of 65dB and nighttime level of 55dB were approved for the WEST configuration (chosen as preferential in July 2003) only the City Council of Castelldefels voted against it.

WEST Configuration - Daytime surround sound level (65 dB)

WEST Configuration - Nighttime surround sound level (55dB)

WEST Configuration - Global surround sound level (daytime 65 dB - nighttime 55dB )

B) COMPARISON BETWEEN SURROUND SOUND LEVELS PRODUCED IN A WEST OR EAST CONFIGURATION

EAST Configuration - Global surround sound level (daytime 65 dB - nighttime 55dB )

It emerged from the Environmental Impact Study

However, just because practically all of Gavà Mar and Castelldefels are outside the GLOBAL SURROUND SOUND AREA does not mean that they are free of noise. On the contrary, yes time has proven that we are outside the surround sound area for the routes in a WEST configuration but we are still close enough that it makes our lives unbearable.

C) WHAT WAS THE DISCUSSION LIKE IN THIS MEETING OF THE CSAAB ?

Coming soon, all the information

Act of the CSSAB:

D) HOW DID THE CITY COUNCIL OF EL PRAT DE LLOBREGAT REACT ?

The City Council of El Prat de Llobregat couldn’t be any happier; with the new sound prints and the transverse runway nearly disabled, the airport could almost duplicate its capacity and yet the nearest town, El Prat –which holds the airport within its municipality–, would see how the noise from the planes was dramatically reduced.

An extensive article with all the information was published in March 2004 in the El Prat Town Council’s municipal gazette:

View from Gavà Mar:

AVV Gavà Mar’s proposal, which was to be approved some months later in the CSAAB, would reduce noise even more in the town of El Prat –an average of 10dB in the daytime period and to a greater extent in the nighttime period.

The Town Council of El Prat would admit it in the December 2005 issue of the stated gazette

- El Prat - Municipal gazette (December 2005)

If our proposal would have been considered before, this noise reduction would have been a reality long before.

E) WHAT STEPS DID THE CITY COUNCIL OF CASTELLDEFELS TAKE ?

On January 5th, 2004, the City Council of Castelldefels informed the General Management of Civil Aviation (DGAC) about its opposition to the sound prints approved in West configuration.

On February 4th, 2004, the Mayor of Castelldefels requested from AENA some information concerning flight operations and claims for the segregated operation of the runways and for the use of the configuration that is less harmful to Castelldefels again.

On February 27th, 2004, the City Council of Castelldefels lodged an appeal against the CSAAB agreement by which the sound prints in the WEST configurations were approved.

On March 11th, 2004, the 'Ministerio de Fomento' Resources Deputy Director returns the appeal to the City Council of Castelldefels requesting that it be lodged in the CSAAB.

On March 25th, 2004, the City Council of Castelldefels lodged a previous requirement before the DGAC and the CSAAB requesting the cancellation of the sound prints approval in West configuration, before taking legal actions.

On May 27th, 2004, a plenary session is held in the City Hall of Castelldefels approving the following unanimous political statement from all the political parties, by which they call for the highest sensibility and respect for the quality of life of the citizens of Castelldefels:

- Unanimous political statement (May 27th, 2004)

On June 23th, 2004, the City Council of Castelldefels brought the case against the Government and took legal actions against the approval of the sound prints in West configuration by the CSAAB.

On July 12th, 2004, the City Council of Castelldefels was given leave to appeal by the Supreme Court of Catalonia (TSJC)

At the beginning of 2008, the appeal is still alive and the process needs to be entirely repeated because the State attorney was not called in time.