CONCERNS over potential night flights from Bournemouth Airport have become top of the agenda for many parish councils throughout the New Forest.

A district council liaison meeting with the parish and town councils to discuss the airport’s consultation on their Noise Action Plan and the issue of night flights highlighted the rising concerns of residents.

Roger Hutchings, Burley Parish Council chairman, said: “We are very concerned about the possible increase of night flights. This area is part of a national park and it is supposed to be an area of tranquillity.

“We have always had complaints about aircraft noise in Burley and it is time we had a serious discussion about what this may mean for our residents.

Sopley Parish Council chairman Andrew Rawstron, who was not present at the meeting, added: “Living in Sopley we get most of the traffic from the airport passing over our houses and residents are concerned.

“We have had a meeting with representatives from Bournemouth Airport who did answer our questions but the problem still remains.

“Ultimately we would like Christchurch+Borough+Council">Christchurch Borough Council to amend the night-time flying quota to something that is more realistic as at the moment there seems to be a free rein.”

But Bransgore parish councillor Clare Lockyer, who is also on the airport consultative forum, said: “The airport has been here for many years and people need to accept that it is going to get busier.

“The airport works really hard with the committee when we raise concerns. They have got to be praised for the work that they are doing with other bodies.”

She said that complaints had decreased since the airport’s web track system was introduced, allaying residents’ fears about how close flights really were to their homes.

New Forest District Council is making efforts to lobby the airport in conjunction with the New Forest National Park Authority.

Bournemouth Airport has assured people living in the flight path that the number of night flights would remain the same next year, stating it is not commercially viable for them to increase the flights.