Aircraft movements affecting Buckland and Proposed Development at Gatwick Airport
Aircraft Movements affecting Buckland
Buckland is currently affected by four principal flight paths as follows:
- Aircraft with routes to the east of Gatwick Airport (LGW) but which depart on a westerly heading (Runway 26L departures), turn right after take off through 180 degrees and fly due east to continue their journey. This route takes them over swathe of Surrey between Norwood Hill to the south and Leigh to the north depending on the tightness of the initial turn. This is known as Route 4.
- Aircraft with routes to the west of LGW but which depart on an easterly heading (Runway 08R departures), turn left after take off through 180 degrees and fly due west to continue their journey. This route takes them over a swathe of Surrey between Leigh to the south and Buckland to the north depending on the tightness of the initial turn. This is known as Route 3.
- Aircraft arriving at Heathrow (LHR) are sometimes directed into the Ockham Stack which they join over the beacon near Ripley and immediately turn to the north to begin a circuit of the stack. They then fly in a straight line for 1 minute before turning to the right back towards Ockham. The most south easterly point of the turn is in the skies above Headley. (This is to change and aircraft will in future fly for 5 nautical miles before turning over Headley which will have the effect of more closely defining the point at which all aircraft begin to turn.)
- The third route is aircraft departing from LHR and flying south over the North Downs towards Brighton. These aircraft fly below 6,000 ft which is lower than they could otherwise do if it were not for avoiding any aircraft in the Ockham stack.
Whilst Buckland residents are not currently as seriously impacted by aircraft noise as some Surrey residents (who find themselves permanently under a flight path and over flown by low altitude aircraft), Buckland Parish Council (“Council”) continues to monitor developments.
Should you be affected by noise there are two sites you can use to monitor aircraft movements, identify specific aircraft and register a noise complaint – click Gatwick or Heathrow. Gatwick provide the option of calling 01293 311568 to register a complaint or submitting an online complaint via PC or mobile.
Future changes in the airspace in Southeast England are expected, especially if the development of a third runway at LHR proceeds, about which there will be other consultations as yet to be published. Council continues to monitor developments with the intention of submitting responses to relevant consultations.
Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC)
Council is a parish council member of GACC and relies upon GACC for advice and notifications of developments in the air industry that could have an impact on operations at Gatwick airport. GACC does not address issues specific to London Heathrow Airport.
GACC invites all local residents to consider joining GACC to help protect the interests of communities around the airport and under flight paths.
Visit the GACC website for latest news on all matters relating to Gatwick Airport. The most recent GACC newsletter is set out below this post.
Last Updated 28th September 2026
GACC Newsletter – Court of Appeal refuses permission to appeal
GACC Number 159 Issued : Wednesday 5th August 2026
Dear Members, Supporters, and Friends,
Court of Appeal refuses permission to appeal
Disappointing news on our legal campaign.
Here’s the core of press release issued yesterday – the full press release can be found here
The Court of Appeal today ruled against Peter Barclay’s, Chair of Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign’s (GACC), application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
The application to appeal relied on two grounds of challenge:
1. The misapplication of aviation policy – a policy which specifically ruled out a second runway at Gatwick in favour of Heathrow; and
2. The reliance on a supposed national economic benefit despite glaring holes in the figures underpinning the business case. Holes that were raised repeatedly by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and GACC during the examination process but that were never addressed by Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL).
“We are very disappointed with the Court’s decision. We took this challenge as far as we could because we believed that the decision to allow Gatwick to expand was fundamentally flawed. It was not supported by government policy, would only serve to line the pockets of the airport and airlines, and would do so at the expense of local residents and the climate,” said Peter Barclay, GACC Chair.
“The calculations carried out by the New Economics Foundation demonstrated that expanding Gatwick could harm the national economy. It is time for governments to wake up and realise that saying yes to the expansion of any and every airport will not kickstart the economy. Instead, its carbon intensive infrastructure will further lock-in aviation’s climate, noise and air pollution impacts whilst increase congestion on roads and public transport and blight local communities,” Mr Barclay continued.
The ruling effectively confirmed that the Secretary of State has almost unchecked discretion to ignore uncomfortable truths, including large holes in the claimed benefits of expansion. Because of that discretion, the planning system is stacked against residents and individuals concerned about the many impacts that unsustainable developments, such as Gatwick’s Northern Runway scheme, have on local communities and the wider world.
Earlier, at the high court, GACC’s legal challenge resulted in the Government and Gatwick Airport Ltd revised the wording in the DCO agreement so there is now better noise monitoring requirements in the long-term and a better mechanism to review and revise this the noise requirements in the DCO agreement in future. Although forcing this concession, Gatwick’s night flights will not be removed as GACC had called for – instead it highlights that the government’s regulatory regime does little to stop an airport doing whatever it considers appropriate. This vague interpretation stop’s an airport being properly held to account on its noise impacts. The fight for better noise policies continues.
Far worse, the appeal judge’s interpretation of the Airports National Policy Statement means that the Government has overridden the significant increases in carbon emissions, together with associated noise, air pollution and associated impacts from the apparent need for global conglomerates to increase the value of their assets and offshore profits.
While there is no further right of appeal, GACC will continue to use all lawful channels available to continue holding the airport to account and increasing people and political pressure to prevent this damaging scheme from going ahead.
Thanks to our legal team, Alex Goodman KC of Landmark Chambers, Gethin Thomas of 39 Essex Chambers and Alice Goodenough of Goodenough Ring Solicitors.
End
We said last month that whatever happens we must continue the challenge on unsustainable expansion. GACC will not give up!
And please watch out for fundraising initiatives being announced and support them if you can.