Aston Martin’s ‘noisy’ helipad ruining our tranquil village life, residents claim
Locals living in a Warwickshire village claim their tranquil life is being ruined by a helipad used by Aston Martin. Householders in Lighthorne Heath claim that a helipad used by the car giant based at Gaydon is impacting their lives. Ben Robinson, an Upper Lighthorne Parish councillor, claims that the helicopter arrivals wake up those trying to sleep, young children, those trying to sleep from night shift work.
He said that it is also having ‘untold affects on health, mental health, and concerns for safety’. The parish councillor claims that attempts to speak to the global name have fallen on deaf ears. Aston Martin told Coventry Live it is looking for a new location within its site. Cllr Robinson’s frustration has led him to set-up a petition, demanding action is taken.
It reads: “This is a pressing issue that is affecting our community’s well-being. The illegal helipad being used at Aston Martin and the resulting frequent low helicopter landings have become a significant source of noise pollution, posing serious health hazards to our residents. It is crucial that we take action now to protect the tranquility and safety of our village.”
The petition calls on the company to stop using the helipad, which he claims leads to helicopters landing just metres away from homes, gardens, and playgrounds.
What Aston Martin has said
CoventryLive contacted Aston Martin about the ongoing concerns in the village. The firm is looking for a new location for a landing pad and planning permission is being sought for this to be based on current car parking land within an industrial section of its site. But this is going through the planning process at the moment, meaning the helipad remains in use.
There are also concerns that any helicopter flights spotted in the area are being attributed to the car giant. The firm has said that it has been working with local residents and parish councillors in a bid to reduce the disruption caused by the use of the helipad. An Aston Martin spokesperson said: “As a global business, Aston Martin sometimes welcomes international investors, high value customers and supplier partners to our Warwickshire[2] headquarters, some of which choose to arrive by air.
“Whilst these helicopter movements are essential to our business activities, we are working proactively on measures to minimalise disruption for our neighbours. This matter remains part of an ongoing planning process.” Get all the latest Warwickshire stories on our daily newsletter here[3].
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References
- ^ Man’s out of control XL American Bulldogs mauled pet dog to death (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (data.reachplc.com)