Deadline for Heathrow Consultation

BASHR3 held a meeting in Osterley to discuss the issues

The Brentford-based No 3rd Runway group, BASH, hosted a well-attended public meeting at the Nishkam School in Osterley last Thursday evening.

The meeting was timed to coincide with Heathrow’s latest public consultation ‘Heathrow Airspace and Future Operations’, which closes at 11.55pm on 4th March.

Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford & Isleworth, urged local people to keep putting on the pressure against expansion.  She said, ‘This proposal is so full of weaknesses, we just need to keep on exposing them.’ 

She suggested 3 actions that everyone can take right now:-
1. Respond to the consultation, but remember you can respond by email rather than filling in the questionnaire: feedback@heathrowconsultation.com. Ask for an end to night flights now, whether or not there’s a 3rd runway.  Consider the option of reducing ‘westerly preference’, so that approach paths over Hounslow are used closer to 50% of the time rather than the current 70%. Again, this could happen even without the 3rd runway.
2.Get involved with BASHRunway3@gmail.com
3.Join the ‘700 More’ group, and pledge to take part in 2 events to raise public awareness: info@stopheathrowexpansion.co.uk

Ruth reminded the audience just how much is at stake. The 3rd runway would bring 47% more flights with 200,000 more people affected and less respite for those already under flight paths. Osterley, central Brentford and North Chiswick would be directly under the new approach path. Heathrow is also asking for an ‘early release of capacity’, bringing in another 25,000 planes a year (68 per day) from 2022. Increased capacity along with technological advances mean Heathrow is proposing the introduction of new ‘Independent Parallel Approaches’ (IPA’s), using the current North and South runways at once, in the interim between 2022 and the opening of the 3rd runway in approximately 2026.  John Stewart, Chair of HACAN, explained the possible noise implications of this and other airspace changes, see https://hacan.org.uk/.

Geraldine Nicholson spoke for the No 3rd Runway Coalition.  She too stressed the importance of responding to the consultation. The Coalition has produced excellent guidance, explaining and commenting on the proposals in clear terms.https://www.no3rdrunwaycoalition.co.uk/consultation 
Geraldine said it was impossible to believe any of Heathrow’s claims, and gave the example of their commitment to no extra traffic on the roads resulting from 47% more flights. She said that even with a shift of 50% to public transport, there would still be approximately 12 million extra car journeys a year. 

Tim Crosland, Director of Plan B, one of a number of organisations taking the government to court over the decision to expand Heathrow, was unable to attend, but sent a message to be read out at the meeting:

"We're very clear about this: if the court agrees with us that the Secretary of State's [Chris Grayling] designation of the Airports National Policy Statement was illegal he needs to rip it up and start again!  If there's one thing that unites all humanity and the rest of the biosphere it's the determination to survive and to pass on the flame of life undimmed. Compliance with the Paris Agreement temperature limit is, according to the best available science, vital to that common concern. The Secretary of State's position that the Paris Agreement is "irrelevant" to Heathrow Expansion is extraordinary and irresponsible. If his plans proceed it will be impossible for the UK to reduce its emissions in line with the Paris limit of 1.5˚C and "well below" 2˚C.  This sort of litigation will always be difficult but we must hope that the court agrees. Thanks so much for all of your support. Best wishes, and hope to see you in court!"

The court case begins on 10th March and is expected to continue for two weeks.  For more information on Plan B’s case: https://planb.earth/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Skeleton-Plan-B-Trial-FINAL.pdf

During question time, a member of the audience asked: ‘So is it a done deal?’ John Stewart responded with an emphatic ‘No’.  He said there are several major hurdles for Heathrow and the government to get over, and he named the court case, the planning enquiry, and finally the possibility that there is a change of government before the go-ahead. John’s words summed up the mood of the evening – this battle is far from over.

March 4, 2019

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