A view of London City Airport from the University of East London Docklands Campus, across the Royal Albert Dock.
By Sam Gardiner
If you look south over the Royal Albert Dock from River Side Road on the University of East London Docklands Campus, the London City Airport terminal stares you in the face. Built in the 1980s and regenerated in time for the London 2012 Olympics, it is impossible to avoid the sight and the sounds of the airport on the Docklands Campus, with planes flying over, on average, every couple of minutes during the day.
But what do students think of it?
One of the first things that is noticed by students and staff stepping out of Cyprus Station is the deafening, overbearing cacophony of aircrafts’ engines preparing for take-off. It can be easy to assume that students who live on campus and must endure these noises 24 hours a day, seven days a week, could be negatively affected by the loudness of the airport.
Brad Dodds is a student, originally from Witham, Essex, who lives on campus. He states that there is a significant difference between the quiet life of rural Essex and the bustling, busy lifestyle of the UEL Docklands Campus.
“I live right in the middle of the countryside where there is nothing, so coming here is a bit of a culture shock”, Dodds says. “The noise is mostly all right, but I’m thankful for double glazing!
“But because the airport is so close [to the campus], and the flights are so frequent, it does make a difference to my everyday life.”
Even though the airport only operates between 6:30am – 10pm on Mondays to Fridays in an average week, leaving people to enjoy regular time for sleep overnight, the time it is open in between could be disruptive for students to partake in some much-needed study time, or socialise with friends outside the lecture buildings on campus – when communicating with others on campus, the noise of aircraft flying overhead is enough to break up conversations completely at times.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend that constant noises of 65 decibels or less are healthy for the human ears, and any noises above this level could be potentially harmful. However, the noise of an aeroplane at take off can reach up to 120 decibels – the equivalent of the loudness of a live rock concert – therefore creating an increased risk of physical or mental harm for students.
Nouha Bouyed Abdelmoula, researcher for the Cambridge University psychology department, found that constant exposure to noise leads to numerous physical and mental health issues, including hearing disorders, sleep disorders, heart disease and high blood pressure, the latter two due to the stress induced by relentless noise pollution.
Abdelmoula writes: “While recent evidence indicates that traffic noise has a negative impact on mental health and that aircraft noise significantly increases the risk of depression, there are not enough studies to date to properly assess the relationship between urban noise pollution and mental health hazards such as anxiety, mood disorders, cognitive impairment etc.”
London City Airport’s website underlines the fact that an action plan is in place to try and reduce the noise in the area around the airport.
It states: “We understand aircraft noise can be a disturbance. While it’s an unavoidable part of our operations, we’re working to find ways to reduce and minimise it however we can”, along with a list of ways in which noise reduction is being implemented, including opening hours being reduced on weekdays, and movement limits being in place for aircrafts.
It also states, “London City Airport has been working closely with local schools, colleges and universities, including UEL, to try to address these issues.”
Elevate East reached out to London City Airport for comment on this matter but has not yet received a response.
Tyler Anderson works as a barista in one of the coffee shops that can be found in the university’s Sports Dock. Originally from South London, now living in Canary Wharf, he is London born and bred, but what does he, a campus employee, think about working so close to such a busy, significant transport hub?
“I don’t mind the planes. I think they’re nice if anything for a bit of background noise”, Anderson smiles.
“I think it’s a good thing to have an airport so close by, especially for the international students here. I think it’s quite convenient for them to have an airport so close that they don’t have to travel too far. It is beneficial.”
According to the Complete University Guide, 46.1% of the approximately 40,000 enrolled students at the University of East London are international students. These students are lucky enough to have London City Airport right on the doorstep of the University so that their commute to the airport and subsequent travel overseas is made much simpler.
It is clearthat international students benefit greatly from the location of the airports, given its proximity to the university campus, but what do these students, who have to adapt to a whole new way of living, think about the constant noise of aeroplanes above the campus and their accommodation?
Sankalp Harikrishnan, a MA student originally from Bangalore, India, thinks that there are positives and negatives to the airport, separated from the campus by the vast Royal Albert Dock.
“I think in general it is nice that there is an airport so close to campus, especially from students who come from overseas”, 21-year-old Harikrishnan states. “However, it does come with drawbacks. It can be super noisy when you are trying to focus on your studies. It is a mixed bag in general.”
Does Harikrishnan ever use the airport to fly home to Bangalore?
“It does not necessarily benefit me on a personal level”, he says. “The flights from Bangalore only go to Heathrow Airport as far as I know.
“But I think that the bigger Indian cities, such as New Delhi and Mumbai, have flights to London City. I think it could be beneficial for other people from India.
“I don’t live on campus, but I live not too far away so I’m getting used to living in the area. Even though I don’t live here, I think that it can be really annoying for those that do. It’s really noisy and you can lose concentration. It can be quite a menace.”
The variety of personnel at the university indicates differing opinions from staff and students. All seem to agree that the background noise is frustrating, but those who are based on the campus, especially students, are used to it.
