MPs want more airspace discussion

Nats said the proposals would mean a reduction in noise for many

Two MPs are attempting to get more time to discuss plans to change the use of airspace over parts of the East.

The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has already allowed an extra month's discussion of plans to stack aircraft waiting to land at London airports.

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are among the areas that would be affected.

James Paice, MP for SE Cambridgeshire, and Richard Spring, for Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, say in a Commons motion the consultation period is "inadequate".

Their motion refers to the consultation by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) on its proposals for airspace changes in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

This area is known as Terminal Control North.

The motion also notes what the MPs say is the failure by NATS to reply to specific questions from those with an interest in the proposals.

This includes the Newmarket horse racing and breeding industry.

The MPs said: "The four-week extension to the consultation period is insufficient to enable stakeholders and members of the public to respond to these complex matters."