Anti 3rd runway campaign puts on “Bare necessities” display at Theresa May’s Maidenhead festival
Stop Heathrow Expansion (SHE), a local campaign group made up of residents opposing the plans for a 3rd Heathrow runway, attended the Maidenhead Festival 22 and 23 July. They had a fun but serious message – fighting for the ‘bare necessities’ that Heathrow expansion would threaten. The theme of the need for “the bare necessities of life” took centre stage at the group’s pitch to local residents at the annual festival, with essentials including: – the right to a settled home, – air free from pollution, – good health, – quiet time for essential rest, – a planet safe from climate change. SHE believes all these would be put at risk with a 3rd runway, and to get the message across, three members wore distinctive bear costumes for the day – to highlight the ‘bare necessities’ theme. The extra 260,000 planes per year that would use an expanded Heathrow would serious noise problems for tens of thousands in the area, worse air pollution, and huge strain on local housing caused by the displacement of the two villages of Harmondsworth and Longford nearby. The negative impacts on her constituency should be a matter of concern to Theresa May, its MP. The previously opposed the runway, but is now prepared to sacrifice her residents’ quality of life, for the slightly desperate attempt by this weakened government to show “Britain is open for business” post-Brexit, by backing a highly dubious, costly, damaging, runway project.
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FIGHTING FOR THE BARE NECESSITIES
Stop Heathrow Expansion, a local campaign group made up of residents opposing the plans for a third runway at Heathrow, attended the Maidenhead Festival at Kidwells Park, on 22 and 23 July with a fun but serious message – fighting for the ‘bare necessities’ that Heathrow expansion would threaten.
The next generation wants to know why they’re forced to breathe polluted air
The theme of the need for “the bare necessities of life” took centre stage at the group’s pitch to local residents at the annual festival, with essentials including:
- the right to a settled home,
- air free from pollution,
- good health,
- quiet time for essential rest
- a planet safe from climate change.
The group believes all these would be put at risk with a third runway at Heathrow and to get the message across three members adopted distinctive bear costumes for the day to highlight the ‘bare necessities’ theme. The bears gave out leaflets to locals attending the festival as well as campaign badges to younger attendees.
Just a normal day at the Maidenhead Festival – man with a plane on his head talks to bemused bear while watching the Prime Minister schmoozing the locals (yes that’s her by the pink tent)
Rob Barnstone, Campaign Coordinator, Stop Heathrow Expansion, said: “Heathrow expansion would threaten the ‘bare necessities’ of life – 260,000 extra planes per year would mean peace would be in peril, dirtier air would be lurking in the lungs of local people as well as the strain on local housing caused by the displacement of the two villages of Harmondsworth and Longford nearby.”
Paul Groves, Maidenhead resident and representative of Residents Against Aircraft Noise (RAAN), said: “Maidenhead residents will not benefit from a third runway. We were pleased to join Stop Heathrow Expansion today to highlight this very strong case to local residents, something in which our MP used to understand.”
http://stopheathrowexpansion.co.uk/press-releases-1/2017/7/24/fighting-for-the-bare-necessities
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Maidenhead issues highlighted at festival
Residents in the Prime Minister’s Maidenhead constituency have the chance this weekend to ask anti-runway campaigners at the Maidenhead Festival how Heathrow expansion will impact their area.
Stop Heathrow Expansion decided to set up a stall on Saturday and Sunday, 22nd and 23rd July, after people living in Maidenhead and the surrounding area contacted the group with questions about the proposals, which are currently supported by government. The event in Kidwells Park is free to the public and opens at 10am on Saturday and 11am on Sunday until 4pm, with additional entertainment and fireworks in the evening.
Highlighting the need to prioritise the bare necessities of life – with John McDonnell MP at the Hayes Carnival this summer.
A serious concern is the loss of Green Belt land to make way for housing. Windsor and Maidenhead are already under pressure to provide more housing but there will be further demands for new properties to be built if a third runway goes ahead. Loss of Green Belt is inevitable unless residents protest.
The Airports Commission determined that an additional 5,000 homes would be needed in each of 14 boroughs from West London to Surrey, which are not yet in any borough plan. (See letters page on this website.) These homes will be needed primarily to accommodate the people who would come into the areas around Heathrow looking for airport-related work. However, it is often forgotten that the loss of habitable homes in the villages to the north of Heathrow is likely to result in around 10,000 people being displaced. Many would want to keep close to friends, family and jobs – if they can afford to do so.
Affordable housing will certainly need to be a priority. Many of the people coming into the region will be single, who may be prepared to live in apartment blocks with minimal open space. However, provision must be made for families including creating additional school places and an expansion of health services to cope with the increased demand. The taxpayer will foot the bill.
The taxpayer also has to pay for improvements to transport infrastructure. Adding 260,000 flights and expanding Heathrow’s cargo operation will put a strain on roads and public transport. Dealing with that is likely to cost around £17 billion but Heathrow is only expecting to pay just over £1 billion and Heathrow doesn’t see dealing with the consequences of a third runway as its problem.
There a many hidden costs – not all financial.
Link to video of the dancing bears, to the music of “The Bear Necessities” of life
Find out more now, before it is too late.
LOOK OUT FOR OUR BEARS – AND FIND OUT ABOUT THE BARE NECESSITIES OF LIFE….
http://stopheathrowexpansion.co.uk/news/2017/7/21/maidenhead-issues-highlighted-at-festival
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