To refresh our memories, see this screenshot of a plane landing.
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| Pontoon Dock DLR very near the flightpath of London City Airport Traffic |
Wrong Information Given By Sales Agent on Direction of Landings/Takeoffs?
Some friends told me that during the sales presentations (in Singapore), the presenter brushed off questions related to noise and claimed that planes usually take off and land from the East, so the noise is minimized.
This is incorrect. Planes do land from the west, very often. Just look at the two videos in my earlier post. In fact, it planes also take off into the West - i.e. full engine power as they take off, passing Pontoon Dock DLR!
Inputs from People Familiar with London City Airport
I got some inputs from people familiar with the area. Excerpts here:
"Whilst they aren't large aircraft, any property around Pontoon Dock will suffer from fairly significant aircraft noise. This is especially true during the morning/evening wave of arrivals/departures. Aircraft generally depart in a westerly direction from London City Airport, so departures will be more of an issue for you."
Yet another wrote this,
"Pontoon Dock is noisy, Canary Wharf is noisy enough to have aircraft noise as a nuisance if you lived there. Pontoon Dock does suffer from noise if I am being honest....the days of "only the quietest aircraft using your local airport" are long gone. Embraers and A318s sound like *real* aeroplanes at take-off power. #myearsarebleeding"
The most detailed & most instructive quote,
"The planes have to rev up a lot to take off on the short runway and also brake when landing. I had friends at Western Beach (end of the dock, west side) and you could hear the noise from takeoff until it flew overhead. For about 15 seconds conversation was difficult if windows were open - something they only discovered in the summer as the flat was on sale in the winter and viewings were cleverly arranged for Saturday afternoon when the airport was shut.
"Visited a friend at an apartment next to the Excel centre and the planes were audible from the dock facing rooms with the windows shut.
"I go to Thames Barrier park occasionally (next to Pontoon Dock) on a Sunday afternoon and you do hear the planes. I once went early midweek in the summer and was shocked at how frequently the planes landed and took off from there as the park was particularly quiet, but the whine of the jets surprised me. It's a bit muffled at first from the other buildings, but when it clears the sky it's loud. I don't mind as I like planes, but anyone that's noise sensitive won't."
Are These People Exaggerating?
That is an excellent question, and indeed, we should critically assess all views. Let us look at some video evidence.
Here is a very instructive video showing you the decibel reading. It exceeds 80.
Notice that from the above 2 videos, the planes are already relatively high up in the sky. Look back to how low the plane will be when it flies near the future site of Royal Wharf.
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| Tell me an Airbus A318 isn't noisy. |
As the old saying goes, Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware!
For overseas investors, buying a property without actually walking the actual site is very challenging. In the past, this would be impossible. Today, the UK property market, especially London Property market is much more open to international investors. You can find a tremendous amount of independent information on the UK property market, just by surfing the net and reading credible articles. Remember to do you homework carefully, especially if you plan to invest in the UK property market.
More Videos
British Airways A318 taking off into the west from London City Airport
Just Alitalia Jet Taking Off
Check out the busy traffic at London City Airport
Bird song drowned out by Plane Taking Off
Night Take-off, into the West. Beautiful night scenery, over O2 Arena, and then over all the Canary Wharf skyscrapers.
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