Whilst this is not exactly a CARA issue, we felt that some of our members would like to read and contribute to the consultation currently underway discussing the 3rd runway. You have until the 27th of February to add your thoughts to the process.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/heathrowconsultation/
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Heathrow expansion - more things you can do if like me, you oppose it:
- Visit www.hacan.org.uk or www.2mgroup.org.uk, where there are more arguments and another petition you can sign.
- Attend the public meeting on the Heathrow plans on Tuesday 12 Feb at 7.00 pm at Clarendon Hall, York House, Twickenham.
- Respond to the consultation at www.dft.gov.uk/heathrowconsultation (deadline 27 Feb). The questionnaire includes questions that offer a choice of evils and/or appear intended to divide the opposition. It's probably safest to ignore these, or to answer with the words "I prefer no Heathrow expansion."
- sign the petition on the Number 10 Downing Street ePetitions site: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/LHRAirport/.
- write to the national and local press.
Media reports suggest that a new runway and expansion will increase the number of Heathrow flights from 480,000 per year to 700,000. Quite apart from more general environmental and CO2 concerns, this will certainly increase air traffic, noise and pollution over tranquil local places that many of us enjoy such as Richmond Park and Kew Gardens, and probably closer to home, over the CARA area. The Government questionnaire tends to give only the pro-expansion arguments and makes it seem inevitable, but I hope it isn’t.
More on the consultation
From TLS:
Those that live under or close to a flight path (is there anyone who doesn’t?) may have noticed council sponsored publicity in local and national press regarding the current consultation on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport. You may also be interested in the following briefing paper from Brentford Community Council (BCC) which highlights a mass rally being organised on February 25th at 7pm Central Hall, Westminster. The consultation ends on 27th February, there is further information at the following link www.stopheathrowexpansion.com . Here is a link to Jason’s most recent Arcadian Diary, published monthly in the Richmond and Twickenham Times about the issue and how it relates to the River Thames Landscape between Hampton and Kew http://thames-landscape-strategy.org.uk/diary/200/arcadian-diary-february-2008
From BCC:
The Department for Transport consultation on Heathrow expansion closes on 27 Feb. In summary the proposals are:
1 An end to runway alternation
2 A third runway
3 A 6th terminal
HACAN and the other groups opposed to expansion are holding a mass rally at Central Hall, Westminster at 7pm on 25th Feb. It is vital that as many people as possible attend this event to send the right message to government.
A lot of meetings have been held during the consultation period. These have been held by the local authorities concerned, all of whom are opposed to expansion, as well as MP’s, who are also opposed, and local groups.
LB Hounslow has been very active, Cllr Barbara Reid has been co-ordinating local opposition.
The detailed consultation document produced by the DfT is not easy to digest. Many of the findings are perplexing, misleading, and frankly not believable. In relation to Brentford, the third runway would result in the number of flights arriving over the town increasing by almost double, and in aircraft taking off over the town for the first time – a huge change and yet the noise contours are shown as hardly changing.
Some believe that an end to alternation is the likely outcome. It is cheap and easy to do and could be in place in 2 years. The consultation document gives little weight to the importance to local communities of a period of calm. All the more important for us and others to reinforce the message that alternation should not be lost.
It is still not too late to register individual objections to the proposals. Write to the aviation minister, Jim Fitzpatrick at the House of Commons, London SW1A 4AA and sign the petition on www.stopheathrowexpansion.com
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