East Midlands Airport wins 'good neighbour' accolade but people living nearby aren't so sure

The airport has won a stack of awards of late and is frequently named one of the best around for travellers, but what about those living nearby?

Nearby residents have hit out after East Midlands Airport (EMA) was recognised for its commitment to “being a good neighbour”. The airport has also been named as a finalist in both the Positive Impact category of the Travel Industry Awards and the Airport of the Year categories for both the National Transport Awards and the Travel Industry Awards by TTG.

The accolades are the latest to be handed out to the airport which frequently earns top marks for travellers and seems to avoid much of the issues faced by its nearest competitor in Birmingham. People living nearby aren't entirely happy with the airport being recognised as a good neighbour though.

The complaints come as East Midlands Airport becomes part of the East Midlands Freeport, leading to more development, but also the potential for huge investment in the region, with more jobs almost certain to follow. Naturally those living nearby aren't quite as enthused about the plans.

Richard Brackenbury, a Diseworth resident, said: "It seems that nobody has done their homework before agreeing to shortlist the EMA in this context. Whilst you can point to certain actions as being neighbourly, donating to a school or for some equipment - as they have done - it comes to the bottom line of them wanting to put these B8 sheds on productive agricultural land right up to the edge of the village.

“If those are the actions of a good neighbour, then frankly I wouldn't want to see a bad one - it's a matter of public record of what's been going on over a number of years.”

EMA has applied for outline planning permission to develop 135,000 square metres of employment space on land south of the A453 near Castle Donington. This proposal, submitted on May 21 of this year, includes warehouses with integral offices and associated infrastructure such as parking, roads, and landscaping.

The airport aims to develop the land for industrial and storage use, taking advantage of its strategic location and the Freeport designation. However, local residents have raised concerns, particularly from some individuals who fear the development could overwhelm the village of Diseworth. Residents have complained about the height of the proposed buildings, traffic congestion, noise, light pollution, and potential environmental damage, arguing that the development would destroy the area's character.

Another resident, Tim Wagstaff, said: “There are far more suitable brownfield sites within the locality. The soon to be decommissioned Ratcliffe Power Station site is an obvious contender, Toton Sidings another. Diseworth is predominantly rural – that is its charm - it should remain so.

“The proposed sheds are huge and, no doubt, proposed for 24 hour use – the visual and noise impact on the residents of the conservation village of Diseworth would be awful. Bright floodlights, reversing beeps of lorries and fork lifts throughout the night. This is wholly inappropriate for a village setting.”

Gary Woods said: “We will lose conservation village status; no longer a rural village but part of a logistics park. I do not accept that the development can be mitigated by buffering, screening or any other term used to suggest the development's impact can be minimised. It will not shield or stop any of the pollution, e.g. air, noise, light from traffic, road changes, 24/7 noise and light. It is not conducive to well-being or health. My mental health is already impacted worrying about this as I live on Clements Gate."

Mr Brackenbury added "Incredulity sums it up, I think. As I've said before, 'good neighbours' act with respect to those neighbours. This is not a dispute over a garden fence or three feet of land. It's over a number of B8 industrial sheds with a minimum of fifteen metres in height and possibly going up to 25 metres, working on a 24 hours basis. I'm stiffened in that reaction by the fact they've admitted that this is a speculative development."

Despite complaints about the development, East Midlands Airport maintains that it is committed to being a responsible neighbour. The airport’s head of corporate affairs, Ioan Reed-Aspley, said: “As one of the region’s most important businesses for driving economic growth, we take seriously our commitment to being a responsible neighbour to many communities in a wide area around the airport.

“We listen to the concerns of local people and work closely with those who live nearest the airport to mitigate the impact of our 24-hour operation on them. Recent steps include a ban on the noisiest aircraft at night.

“But as our award shortlisting recognised, we go further than this. We have awarded more than £2m in grants to many community groups, including a Low carbon energy scheme which supported 52 local projects benefiting over 103,000 people. Furthermore, last year a third of our workforce gave the equivalent of 428 days of volunteering to local projects.

“Our planning application for a Freeport tax site south of the airport is designed to attract investment, create jobs and give the region a much-needed economic boost after years of under investment. Given its proximity to the M1, the airport and nearby rail freight gateway, this site could not be better located to attract high-tech logistics and advanced manufacturing firms.

“In preparing the planning application, we have listened and responded to local concerns and have taken the proximity of the village into account. This includes maximising green space near Diseworth and the distance between the proposed buildings and the village, as well as limiting building heights.”