Richmond Planes?

[PlaneNoiz]

AIBU to wonder why house prices are SO high in Richmond yet all you can hear are planes? We are moving to SW London ans deciding on areas and every house I’ve seen in Sheen/Richmond I can hardly bear the estate agent speak because of plane noise! Is this normal? We have a large budget but wondering why people pay so much for so much noise? Or is it just this time of year and directions of planes etc?

I lived nearby in Kingston/hampton court area for years and it's under the Heathrow flight path so planes are quite constant, you get used to it and tune it out, in lockdown it was such a contrast! A clear sky with no plane trails too was a novelty.

People pay because they have to now, house prices have gone insane and Richmond was always pricey due to its proximity to London and a beautifed part of the Thames and Park, great schools etc.

Richmond has a lot going for it on the plus side - Richmond Park and Bushy park are wonderful. Plenty to do and good schools.
I was bothered by the planes to start with but I barely notice them now.

It can very widely though - they are not too bad where we are - but just a few minutes drive away they are really bad, so it does depend on the flight paths.

We lived in East Sheen for years - it was fine. Didn't think about it the planes.

It’s normal - you’re right under the flightpath. The Queen had it worse at Windsor, apparently when Concorde was flying the castle almost rattled. My brother was in North Sheen for a bit and you get used to it. It is CRAZY expensive but you’re paying for the parks, good schools, great commuting, nice shops and restaurants etc. Imagine how expensive it would be without the planes….

I live in the SE, depending on runway use, route and what noise plan they are on we are on the flight path. Drives me fucking mad. They start coming in around 445am and wake me every day.

Location and close to public transport.

If I could afford I would move there, but it’s near the things I enjoy so makes sense to me. I have friends who used to rent in Richmond and then moved to Poole - we recently meet up with them in Richmond and they said if they could afford it they would move back.

Other friends hated the noise (their house backed onto the railway) you couldn’t sit in the garden without stopping conversation for plane/train noise but they moved to just outside Bristol and are very happy - only thing they miss is the convenience of things but much happier with the bird noise instead!

It's not seasonal. I go to Richmond regularly and every time I go I notice it. I still love Richmond though and would live there if I could afford it!

If you can’t bear it, take that seriously! Cousins who didn’t ended up moving again as it was such a blight on life. Some peoples can tune it out, but for others it’s just terrible (I’m in the second group!)

May I ask (perhaps PM?) where abouts you are? I’d really like to avoid the bad parts and of course no estate agent tells me what they are 😂

I absolutely love Richmond, it is my ideal area apart from these planes. Plus the state schools are quite good, in the other SW area we are looking at we’d be likely to put 3 DC In private…which is expensive!!

I'm from Mortlake near the river and thus directly in flight path. And had the railway the other side of the road too. Honestly didn't notice planes other than teacher had to stop talking when Concorde went over as too loud to hear.

I now live SE London/Surrey/Kent borders and we're in a holding pattern for Heathrow so often wake up to planes here too (which I geekily track on flightradar, takes them 5 mins to go from over my house to over my parents).

You honestly do get used to it, I now live on Brighton mainline and kids have grown up with trains outside their bedroom window. Was ace when DCs were little! We struggle going somewhere with complete quiet.

Richmond etc is a lovely areas, I wouldn't let the planes put you off. Equally perhaps book into a hotel for a few days to see if you do get used to it, of you are used to a lot of quiet you may struggle.

I stayed in Richmond and it didn't bother me. I could hear planes constantly but they weren't loud. I like the sound of planes. I hate the sound of traffic.

In case you weren’t aware, the flight path moves slightly each day so the amount of noise isn’t consistent – but some days will be really noisy.

https://www.heathrow.com/company/local-community/noise/operations/runway-alternation

Someone who lived near the park complained more about rutting deer noises than aircraft!

I once lived on Crown Road in Twickenham, which was really close to Richmond Bridge and I don’t remember airplane noise bothering me. Never looked into that mystery…

Name change as outing. I live on the lower part of Richmond Hill, so am under the flight path.

They alternate the runways so you get morning - 3pm or 3pm - night. The very early morning planes use both runways. 30% of the time there’s an easterly wind, then you get no planes.

I don’t really notice it. You get the odd very low, or very large plane, which is noisy. The weather affects it too.

Double glazing helps - and, in the summer you are probably more thoughtful about window opening etc overnight.

The only big consideration is… I wouldn’t organise something in my garden on an afternoon where planes were landing. The risk of it being noisy is too high.

You can see the route maps easily online - the further up the hill you go, the less plane noise you get.

I certainly felt the constant planes spoilt Kew Gardens a bit when I visited there.

@PlaneNoiz please don't tarnish the whole borough with the same brush. Some areas are better/worse than others. Being on the incoming flightpath (planes descending approx 1 min apart for half the day) is much worse than being on one of the many outgoing flight paths (occasional flights ascending, only when the wind is in a certain direction). I live in Hampton Hill and we only get the latter. Even then, it is only noticeable when the plane is a big international flight e.g. for Qantas. The size of the plane influences how quickly it gains height.

You can research flight paths online to minimise the impact.

I grew up in Twickenham, there are planes but it's a lovely place, everywhere has pros and cons. It's up to the housebuyer, eh.

Do you know if there’s a way I can research the flight paths?

Give it a day and you won't notice the planes. My sister lives there and when we visit you very quickly stop noticing.

Have a look here:-
https://www.heathrow.com/company/local-community/noise/what-you-can-do/track-flights-on-maps

You tune it out , we used to live under the Gatwick flight path . I love Richmond , it’s one of the few areas in London that I would live in .

I've lived in various bits in that area and it's way less constant or loud in Ham, Kingston, Teddington, and near marble hill park in Twickenham - north Sheen , Sheen , lots of Kew and centre of Richmond and st Margaret's out towards isle worth for me are a complete no -.

This will help:
www.heathrow.com/company/local-community/noise/what-you-can-do/track-flights-on-maps

Yes it’s very noisy.
in some locations the airport provided houses with double glazing.

Kew Garden is noisy with plane.

they don’t fly i over Kingston in the same way.

Presumably people get used to it. I used to swim at the Richmond open air pool, and every 1.5 lengths there would be a plane directly overhead, usually low enough for me to see which airline.
We live on the other side of R Park, and during certain weather conditions, usually in summer, we get planes directly overhead, but TBH it really doesn’t bother us.