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MPs will join campaigners on the South Bank in a protest to mark last day of a flight path consultation which will affect large areas of London and the South East.

On Thursday 19th June MPs Andrew Lansley, Richard Spring and David Ruffley will join campaigners in a protest against the flight path changes.

Hackney South

Residents in Hackney South who live near Victoria Park are under one of the proposed flight paths.

Caroline Bousfield Gregory, Secretary of the Well Street Common User Group said: "I am shocked by lack of consultation.听 It might have been going on for a long time but none of us around here know anything about it.听 We all read local and national press.

"Victoria Park was provided by Queen Victoria.听 It was meant to be a green lung for deprived eastender and is used for de-stressing, peace and fun.听 It does not seem right that the area is going to be drowned by noise from low flying aircrafts".

3,000 consulted

The NATS consultation is seeking public opinion on proposals to redraw the aircraft route map across a large area of south-east England, before submitting it to the UK airspace regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, for a decision.

They say more than 3,000 people and organisations are being consulted, including MPs, local councils, green groups, airlines and businesses from across five affected areas.

The 17 week consultation, which opened on February 21st marks the first fundamental overhaul in several decades for an area of airspace called Terminal Control North (TCN).

NATS who provides air traffic control services at 15 of the UK's biggest airports says its plans would cut by 20% the number of people affected by noise from departing planes flying below 4,000ft (1,219m) at airports including Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City.

The new flight paths could be in place by spring 2009 if the Civil Aviation Authority gives NATS the go-ahead.

Winners and losers

Martin Peachey, who chairs Stop Stansted Expansion's noise committee, warned the proposal would mean there would be both winners and losers.

"While we welcome moves to reduce noise impacts, such as proposals for greater use of continuous descent approaches, there will clearly be losers as well as winners across the region since the noise has to go somewhere.

"The new routes mean that aircraft would be flying over communities that have previously enjoyed relative tranquillity where over flying will make a greater impact because of the absence of other background noise.

However Jonathan Astill, head of air space management for NATS, said: "we're trying to reduce the number of people that are over flown at the lower levels".

He said the aim was also to "make it possible for aircraft to climb to the higher levels quicker so that they get away from the airports, they create less noise, they burn less fuel and therefore they create less emission".

John Stewart, Chair Airport Watch said:" The only reason NATS is proposing these changes is to create more airspace to cater for the Government鈥檚 aggressive plans to expand aviation.

" This makes no sense at a time when the price of oil is increasing the cost of flying and putting real question marks over the aviation expansion plans."