More than 1,000 community groups across the region have earned a windfall from fines paid by noisy aircraft at Manchester Airport.
Some £2.6m has been handed out by the airport’s community trust fund with fines from loud planes contributing to the pot.
Any group within a 10-mile radius of the airport can apply for a grant.
The airport’s noise restrictions are some of the toughest in the country. Jets are fined £750 for every breach and another £150 for each decibel they go over the limit.
The fines started in 2004, when airlines were forced to hand over almost £70,000 in penalties. Since then the amount has dropped to a record low of just £7,500 last year.
The biggest recent offenders are cargo carriers such as Kalitta Air, Great Wall Airlines and China Airlines.
Bosses said the reduction was down to more modern aircraft and companies becoming increasingly aware of their environmental responsibilities.
Applications for the fund are considered four times a year by a board of trustees from Manchester Airport and the local authorities of Stockport, Trafford, Manchester, Tameside, Cheshire East and Cheshire West councils.
The trust will fund projects that ‘enhance, protect and conserve’ the natural environment, such as tree planting or heritage work.
They also prioritise applications for education or training schemes as well as sports and leisure activities.
Recent awards include £2,000 to Denton Cricket Club’s junior section for new showers, £1,600 to the Welcome Cafe in Shaw Heath, Stockport towards a kitchen refurbishment and £1,500 to St John’s Methodist Church in Stockport towards a much-needed revamp of the hall’s play area.
The fund is topped up by donations from the airport to support neighbourhood and community projects throughout the area. The latest awards were revealed at a meeting of Manchester Airport Consultative Committee and were backed by members.
Wendy Sinfield, community relations manager at Manchester Airport, said: "We’re really proud to have awarded millions of pounds to over 1,000 projects since 1997 and we know it’s considered a vital resource for local groups."
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The Airport Authority are giving away 'Public Money', yet they want to charge motorists just for dropping off passengers at the airport - what will they do with the revenue that this creates, give it away as well?
"The trust will fund projects that ‘enhance, protect and conserve’ the natural environment, such as tree planting or heritage work"
Ok, here's an idea - stop the airport expanding it's freight terminal and destroying the listed building on Hasty Lane, that were there a long time before the airport came. Or give money to developing the rail network so we can get rid of domestic flights. Or funding scientists to make the planes more efficient and quieter.
With planes becoming quieter over the years, maybe the threshold of breaching the limit ought to be lowered as well. We have the same lowering threshold for tax on company cars as they have become cleaner over the years.