COMPENSATION MATTERS

BAA’s intransigence over compensating the many people whose homes are suffering from generalised blight has been taken up by Takeley Parish Council which is taking its challenge to the European Court of Human Rights. See press release.

We suggested the following points:

1.  The loss in value of homes compared with rises in prices generally across Essex and Hertfordshire should be the key basis for determining whether compensation for generalised blight is justified.

2.  It is wrong to suggest that generalised blight affects only 500 properties within the 66dBA noise contour when the evidence from the official Land Registry statistics clearly shows otherwise.

3.  Any guideline for inclusion within a compensation scheme should include any properties within the wider 50dBA noise contour but should also include properties outside it whose values are affected by other factors, such as night noise and ground noise.

On 21 September 2004 BAA published what it claims will be the final version of its 'Home Owner Support Scheme'. This met with almost universal condemnation, such is the inadequacy of the proposed compensation arrangements. SSE's response to this is contained in our press release on the same day and SSE is now working actively on a number of fronts with the aim of securing fair play from BAA for local homeowners and tenants. You can keep in touch with developments by joining SSE or simply by becoming an online supporter whereupon you will be added to our electronic 'campaign news' mailing list.

Home Value Guarantee Scheme: ('HVGS') This was published in outline by BAA Stansted on 27 January 2004. This scheme is specifically designed to provide a basis for compensating the 74 homeowners whose properties lie within the proposed new airport boundary and 33 others nearby. SSE has not formally commented on this scheme, having agreed with the local Broxted and Takeley communities that they would work with their own local parish council representatives to develop an appropriate response.

Home Owners Support Scheme: ('HOSS') Compensation proposals published for consultation on 26 February 2004 and intended to address the issue of generalised blight caused by the threat of its airport expansion proposals. When announcing this scheme, BAA issued a press statement and also published its proposed 66 dBA map. Within this booklet, two different options are set out (1) the 'Assisted Relocation Scheme' and (2) the 'Property Protection Scheme'.

It should be noted that the HOSS consultation period was due to end on 30 April 2004 but has been extended to 31 May 2004 as a result of pressure from SSE and others.

SSE issued preliminary comments on BAA's HOSS proposals on 9 March 2004 and followed this up with a full report accompanied by a covering letter on 2 April 2004. This was followed up with an SSE press release on 5 April 2004.

SSE is particularly critical of BAA's intention to use a narrowly defined 66 dBA noise contour as the basis for determining eligibility for this compensation scheme. SSE firmly believes that the 50 dBA noise contour should be used as the general guideline for eligibility and, in producing this contour, the correct approach is to superimpose the 50 dBA contour for north easterly operations upon the 50 dBA contour for south westerly operations (rather than averaging the two contours).