COUNCIL bosses are expected to support residents’ bid to have Wycombe Air Park regulated by the Government, which could lead to noise control.

Wycombe District Council cabinet members are set to support having the Booker facility regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority.

They want the Department for Transport to “specify” the park under the Civil Aviation Act.

If this goes ahead then when the CAA licence the park it would need to “have regard to the need to minimise so far as reasonably practicable any adverse effects on the environment”.

It would also have to regard “any disturbance to the public including noise from aircraft” (see link at bottom of story for full report).

The call has been brought by the Wycombe Air Park Action Group which says the park is too noisy and is blighting residents’ lives. The DfT has now asked WDC for its view.

A council report says: “As a matter of principle, this council supports environmental controls and the achievement of the highest quality environment for residents living in the vicinity of Wycombe Air Park that is practicable.”

This could see conditions attached to the park’s licence, which presently only covers safety matters.

It made a similar application in 1988 which was thrown out. Only Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead airports are “specified”.

Neither the air park nor the action group were this afternoon available for comment.

Yet four of the nine ward councillors affected did not support the move when consulted by WDC.

The report says they said residents “knew of the noise issues when they moved into the area”

and “only a few” had complained about noise and were “not representative” of all.

They also warned about the cost to the taxpayer and said the airpark “is a large employer in area, makes significant contribution to the local economy”.

Booker and Cressex Councillor Darren Hayday said he was among those who objected.

He said: “I have lived near there for 10 years and it hasn’t bothered me. I have only had one official complaint in my six, seven years as a councillor.”

The council report said the air park had taken measures to mitigate environmental effects but would “welcome the independent view of an expert body to review these measures and consider any additional measures”.

Specification would “not guarantee any additional environmental measures” but the CAA would have to take on peoples’ views.

It adds: “No other airfields have to date been specified under this section, therefore it is not possible to give any background information on the likelihood of success or whether any licensing changes will be made.”