Air Safety
Current emphasis on the potential hazard to civil and military aircraft posed by birds, especially large and flocking species, presents particular problems in relation to the creation of new landfill sites, quarries restored to water space and some other types of development potentially attractive to birds such as lawn turf production. We have assessed numerous projects and negotiated scheme design modification and/or bird management agreements. Examples include:-
- Assessment of bird strike risk associated with expansion of a landfill site; full bird survey including flight lines; negotiation of bird strike management agreement with Civil Aviation Authority; preparation of appeal documents, advice during appeal procedure, and final agreement on management plan. Airport: Carlisle
- Assessment of bird strike risk, design of restoration plans and development of bird management plans for mineral sites in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Yorkshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire with negotiation with Defence Estates. Aerodromes: RAF Scampton, RAF Waddington, RAF Wittering, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Honnington, RAF Coltishall, RAF Northolt and RAF Brize Norton.
- Assessment of bird strike risk, design of restoration plans, negotiation with British Airports Authority and East Midlands Airport and development of bird management plans for mineral sites in Dorset, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Essex and Buckinghamshire. Aerodromes: Heathrow (3 applications), Gatwick, Stansted (2 applications), and East Midlands Airport (3 applications), Bournemouth (3 applications)
- Assessment of bird strike risk, negotiation with Defence Estates for construction of a motorway service area. Aerodrome: RAF Dishforth
- Assessment of bird strike risk, design of restoration plans, negotiation with British Airports Authority for a reservoir. Aerodrome: Gatwick
- Assessment of birdstrike risk on a proposed lake, negotiations prior to appeal, redesign of lake, negotiation of bird management plan leading to withdrawal of appeal and grant of planning permission for the Environment Agency on behalf of a private land owner. Aerodrome: Gatwick
- Birds counts, negotiation of bird management plan with Civil Aviation Authority and British Airports Authority on a large waste site. Aerodrome: Gatwick
- Assessment of likely bird strike risk for a proposed flood storage area at Stockton on Tees and negotiations with local authority (airport owners) leading to a bird management plan. Aerodrome: Teeside International Airport
- Review of reports on bird strike for the T5 Inquiry, preparation of reports submitted to inquiry on behalf of the Environment Agency. Aerodrome: Heathrow
Birds at landfills, new wetlands and some other types of site are viewed as an air-safety hazard but the issue can be resolved by appropriate design and management.