The Issue:

Long-standing residents may recall that some years ago the problems of aircraft noise in the area were sufficiently bad for us to appoint a special convenor and join with other regional bodies and groups to campaign. This led among other things to action being taken to reduce noise. We also had to campaign against proposals to build a railway link across our commons to new terminals at Heathrow. We are keeping a close eye on the current Government 'consultation' concerning its recommendations that a third runway - and a sixth terminal - should be added to Heathrow Airport.

At our Open Meeting of 12 February 2008, Ben Ellis gave an admirably clear and neutral presentation on the proposals, summarised below.

While we are well situated for the travel conveniences of Heathrow (and Gatwick) villagers' concerns are that the considerable pressures from the British Airports Authority, the airlines and major business interests coupled with a government's desire for 'prestige' may lead to decisions being taken that later turn out to have a negative effect on the area we live in. Ben Ellis' conclusion was that if anything, noise from aircraft over Thames Ditton and Weston Green would likely be reduced. But along with our County and Borough Councils we are concerned about knock-on effects on transport. It is not long ago that we had to join with others to fight off plans to build a new rail link to Heathrow that would cut across the green spaces of Weston Green and nearby commons. These pressures are all too likely to return downstream of airport expansion: it is cheaper by far to use green belt than to compel the purchase of developed land. Heathrow is probably in the wrong place for expansion. The argument that it may 'lose its place' as the world's busiest airport cuts no ice here. That does not pass the 'so what?' test. There is already an awful lot of metal flying over residential areas.

Over the weekend of 1-2 March 2008 there were several useful newspaper articles about the Labour Government's plans - the Government is to renege on their promise some years ago (at the time of the plans for the fifth terminal that's due to open this month) that there would be no further expansion of Heathrow. You may care to click through to articles in the Sunday Times of 2 March 2008: Simon Jenkins, and 'London is out of airspace.'

Current rules governing flight operations:

Operations at Heathrow Airport are currently governed by the following rules:

◊   Cranford Agreement: this prevents aircraft from departing over Cranford when flying to the east whilst on the northern runway.
◊   Operation of the aircraft in segregated mode: Apart from the hour 6am-7am, aircraft land on one runway whilst departing on the other.
◊   Runway alternation: when aircraft are departing into the west, aircraft swap which runway they are using at 3pm. This gives the communities overflown considerable respite and the ability to plan events to occur when their houses are not overflown.
◊   A cap on the number of movements at 480,000 per year.

(Source: Hounslow local Council)

Heathrow’s proposed 3rd runway: by Ben Ellis, Former Operations Duty Manager, Gatwick

• The site where Heathrow now is was first used for flying in the 1930s - called the 'Great West Aerodrome'.
• Opened in May 1946 for civil aviation, it was originally designed with 6 runways in mind, a flying boat lake to the South and additional runways to the North. There were 9,000 flights in its first year.
• Steady increase in traffic to today's 67 million passengers and 471,000 air transport movements (ATM) per year.
• Heathrow is a part of the London airports system, the largest such in the World.
• Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Luton already transport the equivalent of twice the entire UK population each year.
• Around 30% of Heathrow passengers are in transit
• Cargo – Heathrow is the UK’s biggest port by value. 90% of all air freight is carried in the belly holds of passenger aircraft.
• Heathrow is a vital part of the UK economy, servicing one of the World’s largest financial markets. 70% of foreign companies in the UK have an office within one hour of Heathrow Air transport set to grow at 5% pa for next twenty years – a doubling by the year 2030.
• Terminal 5 to open March 2008 will rationalise and reorganise airport rather than allow huge expansion.
• Growth in recent years hampered by lack of runway capacity.
• Options for increasing runway capacity focus around scrapping current agreements such as alternation and Cranford agreement (that reduce and share out noise levels over the immediately surrounding areas)
• A third runway operated independently of the existing and with its own terminal buildings will increase ATM to 700,000+ and passengers to 90 million +, maybe 120 million.

Arguments for expansion:

• Heathrow employs 68,000, could rise to 100,000.
• Heathrow is in decline. Due to congestion, fewer destinations, especially in the UK are now served than in 1990. Connectivity is a vital feature of airport hubs. It is now easier to travel to and from UK regional cities from Amsterdam or Paris than it is Heathrow.
• A third runway would restore this connectivity
• Economic benefits likely to be around £7 billion a year to the wider economy

Arguments against expansion:

• Noise from aircraft already blights around 2 million people, especially early morning arrivals on Westerly operations (around 70% of the time)
• Most pollution isn’t generated by the aircraft, but by vehicles in the vicinity of the airport.
• Airport expansion will mean an increase in road congestion for the rest of us
• More airport workers will put additional pressure on housing, schools and healthcare in the region.
• Heathrow expansion is wrapped up in the whole climate change issue in relation to air transport

Surrey County Council's Response

SCC Press release 29 Feb 2008:

Surrey County Council recognises that Heathrow Airport makes a considerable contribution to the national and regional economy, and accepts the need for further investment to maintain its pre-eminent position. However the County Council’s Executive has made it clear that the Council cannot support any further expansion on the basis of the proposals set out by the Government in its recent consultation document.

The Executive believes that measures to deal with the environmental and transport impact of expanding the airport, which borders Surrey, must be agreed and put in place alongside any increase in the number of flights. Unless these are addressed the Government’s proposals will also undermine the economic benefits of the airport.

The Executive Member for Transport said: "The immediate need is for investment to improve the quality of the airport, not the quantity of flights. The next most important thing is to invest in rail access to the airport so that the airport is accessible from the rest of the country and not just London. We want the Government to commit to addressing and funding these, as well as measures for dealing with the impact on the road network."

The Executive Member for the Environment said: "It is important that the Government come up with realistic proposals that really do address the environmental issues round noise, air quality, and greenhouse gases, rather than relying on as yet undeveloped technological solutions. We also want to see the interests of those directly affected by the proposals – such as in Sipson – properly and sympathetically addressed."

More:

MP Ian Taylor has stated that on balance he is in favour of Heathrow expansion. You may wish to write to him.

You may wish to add your name to the online petition being organised by the campaign to prevent expansion at Heathrow in which local resident Sally Lloyd Jones is playing a part.