The case of the mysterious post boxes appearing in Heathrow’s terminals … for pro-Heathrow consultation forms

Post boxes have started to appear in the terminals Heathrow Airport urging customers to “help us expand Heathrow”. They coincide with the final public consultation by the Airports Commission.  John Stewart, chair of HACAN, said “Local people alerted us to these post boxes…… It seems as if Heathrow is using passengers as a weapon in its fight to get a third runway.”  Questions are being asked by campaigners whether passengers are being handed forms as they come off their planes for them to send to Heathrow or put into the post boxes. John Stewart said he expected Heathrow may have miscalculated, as the Airports Commission is interested in solid arguments rather than simply filled in campaigning forms. It should be remembered that Gatwick and Ipsos Mori decided that consultation responses through an NGO, the Woodland Trust, should not be counted as responding that was was too easy. Neil Keveren, who chairs SHE (Stop Heathrow Expansion), commented that while local people have to campaign using their own time and resources, Heathrow is able to drum up support from passengers from around the globe who “have little interest in communities such as ours.”
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The case of the mysterious post boxes appearing in Heathrow’s terminals

Those posting boxes for responses

7.1.2015  (SHE – Stop Heathrow Expansion)

Post boxes have started to appear in the terminals Heathrow Airport urging customers to ‘help us expand Heathrow’ (1). They coincide with the final public consultation being held by the Airports Commission which is looking at whether a third runway should be built at Heathrow or a second one at Gatwick. The Commission’s final report will be published after May’s General Election. The next Government will need to decide whether to accept or reject its recommendations.

John Stewart, chair of HACAN, which campaigns against a new runway, said “Local people alerted us to these post boxes. They are quite attractive but I suspect they are not there just to be decorative. It seems as if Heathrow is using passengers as a weapon in its fight to get a third runway.”

Questions are being asked by campaigners whether passengers are being handed forms as they come off their planes for them to send to Heathrow or put into the post boxes.

Stewart added: “I suspect Heathrow may have miscalculated. The Airports Commission will be more interested in solid arguments rather than in sifting through forms founds in posting boxes dotted around Heathrow’s last chance saloon.”

Neil Keveren, who chairs SHE (Stop Heathrow Expansion), said, “These post boxes illustrate the David and Goliath of this battle. We are fighting in our spare time to stop our homes being knocked down and our communities destroyed while Heathrow Airport is not only able to spend millions but use passengers from around the globe that have little interest in communities such as ours.”

Neil Keveren on 07850904677

www.stopheathrowexpansion.co.uk

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Earlier, on the Gatwick responses

 

Woodland Trust asking Gatwick respondents to send a photo of themselves, to prove to Gatwick they are real people

Gatwick carried out a consultation, that ended on 16th May) about its 2nd runway plans. There were some 7,700 responses (the vast majority against a new runway) and of those, 4,092 came through a campaign by the Woodland Trust. However, in its analysis of the consultation responses, Ipsos Mori decided to discount these responses, as they had been generated by a campaign and were sent in electronically. It is too convenient for the airport to discount over half the responses in this way. The Woodland Trust is now asking everyone who backs their campaign against Gatwick destroying areas of ancient woodland for its runway, to send in photos and details of themselves, in order to prove to the powers-that-be that they are real people, their opinions are real, and there is no reason for their consultation responses to be invalidated.You can add your photo, and a brief comment, on the Woodland Trust website here. The Trust is rightly appalled at suggestions by Gatwick that they can justify destroying ancient woodland by just offsetting it, through planting 3 new saplings to replace each ancient tree – or translocating woodland soil to new locations for new saplings. Neither even partly replace the richness, quality and diversity of true ancient woods.

https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2014/09/woodland-trust-asking-gatwick-respondents-to-send-a-photo-of-themselves-to-prove-to-gatwick-they-are-real-people/

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