Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
London City Airport appeal on expansion – blog by Alan on why Hacan East are fighting for the local communities
Newham Council granted planning approval in February for London City Airport’s plans for expansion, allowing an increase in the number of flights from 70,000 per year to 111,000 and almost double the number of passengers, up to 6 million a year by 2023. In March 2015 Boris Johnson refused the plans, on noise grounds. The airport appealed, and the hearing starts on 15th March. Alan Haughton, from the local campaign group Hacan East will be speaking at the appeal, against the airport's plans, representing the interests of the local community. Alan has worked for many years, to oppose the high handed manner in which the airport (owned till very recently by GIP, as a means to make quick, huge, profit) rides roughshod over the interests of local people. In a blog, Alan explains why he and Hacan East have worked so hard, unpaid, to give their community a voice. Alan says: "What we see happening at London City Airport is happening across London. Developers and businesses, working closely with Local Councils, are forcing their will on Communities for profit. ... We attend the Planning Enquiry with no QC, no legal representation, no ‘experts’. We can’t afford those. ... For me though, it’s about justice, about community, about local residents and community groups standing together to defend our local environment."
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More psychological torture from Heathrow – with its leaflet for local people on compulsory purchase
Heathrow has posted, First Class, a leaflet (Heathrow Community Matters Bulletin, March 2016) to all the homes in the area threatened with compulsory purchase for a runway - and to an unknown number of other homes where the runway would make life virtually unliveable. This has not caused reassurance to many, but increased anger and resentment. Heathrow will keep people, who have already lived with blight and uncertainty for years, in a state of anxiety and uncertainty for yet longer. Heathrow's Nigel Milton wrote the leaflet, and uses the most evasive and emollient language he can for the unpleasant reality of people being evicted from their homes, against their will. He says Heathrow has been holding sessions for local residents to discuss "issues associated with Heathrow expansion." .." the first point at which you will be able to ask Heathrow to buy your house will be after the Government designate their National Policy Statement for expansion at Heathrow... We would expect this to be somewhere between summer 2017 and summer 2018."...."If people wait until a third runway planning consent is received to sell us their home, they will be eligible for the terms of our offer i.e. unblighted market price plus 25%, stamp duty, legal and moving costs. We currently expect to receive planning consent in 2020." More stressful waiting .... more anxiety .... more years unable to make any future plans. It is cruel.
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Justine Greening believes Cameron and Cabinet will abandon Heathrow 3rd runway plans
Justine Greening, MP for Putney, long standing opponent of a 3rd Heathrow runway, and International Development Secretary, has said that David Cameron will abandon plans to build a 3rd Heathrow runway. She predicted that the Cabinet would conclude that Heathrow should not be expanded. Instead a new “long term” strategy should be drawn up to decide on a "sensible" future airport policy for the UK. The Telegraph says this risks a backlash and potential legal challenge from pro airport campaigners. Those wanting a new runway claim that it is needed to prevent flights and businesses going to other countries in Europe in the decades ahead. Last autumn Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary and Britain’s most senior civil servant, warned ministers not to comment on the runway issue before an announcement due to concerns that the final decision could be vulnerable to legal challenge by the losing side or its backers. Justine Greening said she did not think the Cabinet would back Heathrow as it was not a smart decision. “Trying to expand Heathrow is like trying to build an eight bedroom mansion on the site of a terraced house. It is a hub airport that is just simply in the wrong place.” She had said earlier that she might resign if Heathrow was granted a runway, but she my have changed her mind.
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AEF analysis of the ITC report: its “conclusion that environmental impacts should be no barrier to expansion is unfounded”
A new report published by the Independent Transport Commission (ITC), a think tank supported by Heathrow and Gatwick, has argued that environmental concerns should not prevent a new runway being built. Now the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF)has come out with a damning assessment. The report argues that “it is foreseeable that a range of solutions will enable forecasts of future growth to be delivered within acceptable environmental boundaries even without a “step-change” in technology”. AEF points out that what "acceptable environmental boundaries" are not clearly defined. On CO2 emissions AEF says the ITC has put too much faith in future market based measures to trade emissions, and used unjustifiably optimistic forecasts of fuel efficiency improvements (1.6% per year, when others expect 0.8% at best). On noise AEF says the ITC does not even consider health impacts, uses implausibly optimistic assumptions and some unclear use of noise measurements. On air pollution, the ITC argues this is largely not the airports’ responsibility and hopes levels will improve soon. AEF concludes: "Without clearer definitions of what constitutes “acceptable environmental boundaries”, and evidence that these can be achieved, the report’s conclusion that environmental impacts should be no barrier to expansion is unfounded."
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HACAN East starts crowdfunding appeal for campaign to fight altered London City Airport flight paths
Local resident-led group HACAN East has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fight the new, concentrated flight paths for planes to and from London City Airport. HACAN East is seeking to raise £25,000, in order to campaign to reverse these changes - which they describe as Noise Ghettos - within 12 months, when the CAA will review airspace changes. In February, new concentrated flight paths began operating over many parts of east & south-east London, leaving parts of many boroughs with levels of aircraft noise not previously experienced. HACAN East know that taking on the might of the aviation industry is not easy. It is only by the local community coming together that residents can win, to get the flight paths changed - and the noise reduced. People in the noise affected areas feel these "noise ghettos" are completely unacceptable. City Airport did not consult residents about the flight path changes. The levels of aircraft noise and pollution have increased to unacceptable levels - reducing people's quality of life. At busy time of the day, planes can be coming over one every minute or so. They also suffer from Heathrow flights. Crowdfunding details here,if you are able to help.
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“Independent” transport think tank, pro-runway, finds the environmental challenges can all (honestly…) be overcome …
Heathrow is well aware that it has an almost insurmountable set of environmental obstacles that, in any logical system, would make a 3rd runway out of the question. However, it keeps hoping that it can persuade enough key people that all is well, and all environmental problems will just melt away. Now, in a slightly desperate attempt to get politicians etc to ignore the evidence, a report has been done by an organisation called the "Independent Transport Commission." This is a body partly funded by Heathrow, by Gatwick, by NATS and many others. The report "The sustainability of UK Aviation: Trends in the mitigation of noise and emissions", written by RDC Aviation Ltd, sets out to show that the aviation industry can soon overcome problems of noise, air pollution and carbon emissions - and adding a new runway will be problem-free. The report is thin on good detail to back up these claims. It is high on hopes, aspirations and what could be termed "mindless optimism" that new technologies will work out well, and everything that could help the aviation industry will do so. None of the real problems of an expanding industry, with additional problems from the sheer increase in plane numbers are dealt with. A report, which is hard to describe as "independent" in any meaningful sense of the word, advocates sacrificing the environment if holds the industry's growth back.
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Local firms dispute Gatwick’s claims that a 2nd runway would be good for business or for the area
Backers of a 2nd Gatwick runway (few as they are) such as the Gatwick Diamond are keen to promote the view that it would greatly help local business. However, many businesses in the area would, in reality, be harmed by it. Employers fear the airport's expansion would mean higher wage expectations and wage inflation. As there is almost no local unemployment, it would become hard to employ local staff. There would also be much more road and rail congestion, from all the extra travel demand generated - with a negative impact on local companies. The pressure on office space and business locations would increase, pricing some firms out of the area. Where are they to relocate to? Gatwick is meant to have an "Engagement Charter" (written in 2014) through which it keeps in contact with local "landowners and occupiers" but some say they have had no contact from Gatwick. There is meant to be one to one support from the airport - especially on compulsory purchase. Sally Pavey, Chair of CAGNE, commented: “At last local businesses are starting to realise what a second runway at Gatwick will mean for them. It’s not going to be all good news for them.” Local campaign GACC produced an excellent, easy-to-read 6-page paper in December 2014, "Bad for Business" setting out a range of topics, illustrating how negative the runway's impacts would be.
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Heathrow Villagers welcome legal warning to Cameron, by 4 councils, of legal threat if 3rd runway is approved
Four Conservative-run local authorities have appointed a legal team, (Harrison Grant Solicitors) warning that if the Government did not rule out a 3rd Heathrow runway, then legal action will be launched. The four are the London Boroughs of Hillingdon, Richmond-upon-Thames, Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. All are long-standing opponents of a 3rd runway. The solicitors have written to the Prime Minister on their behalf explaining how "insurmountable environmental problems" would make government backing for a new runway "irrational or otherwise unlawful". Local campaign group in the Heathrow Villages, "Stop Heathrow Expansion" representing residents in the south of Hillingdon whose lives would be directly impacted by the runway, welcomed the letter. Christine Taylor, Harlington resident and Stop Heathrow Expansion supporter, said: "Residents of the Heathrow Villages have had enough – we’ve been fighting this for over 30 years. We want to draw an end to the repeated threat of Heathrow expansion on our communities." Rob Gray, the voice of the "Back Heathrow" group, complains residents will be furious that councils are spending money. He ignores the fact that residents could be equally furious that Heathrow has, yet again, put the councils in the position where they have little choice other than to defend themselves from the airport's plans.
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Heathrow holding “Business Summits” in Leeds and Manchester, attracting SMEs with hopes of lucrative runway supply deals
Heathrow is hoping to get backing from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the regions, by tempting them with the prospect of lucrative contracts to supply the construction of the 3rd runway (which it presumes it will be getting). It also hopes it can persuade companies that another Heathrow runway will boost their businesses. Heathrow says it will "need more SMEs from the Northern Powerhouse in Heathrow’s supply chain to deliver an expanded Heathrow.” To help get more SMEs on board, there will be "Business Summits in Manchester (7th June) and Leeds (29th September). The days "will consist of speed-dating style sessions of interviews with procurement managers representing businesses based at the airport. By forging connections and winning new business, SMEs have the opportunity to enter Heathrow’s supply chain before development work kicks off as well as using the airport’s international presence to project their brand globally." There is also an annual Heathrow’s flagship Summit which takes place at the airport each November. Heathrow is hoping to lure them, saying: "with the airport spending over £1.5 billion annually with over 1,200 suppliers from around the UK....[the role of SMEs] will grow with the airport’s expansion."
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Manchester airport granted planning consent for huge programme of building works on terminals etc
Manchester airport has huge expansion plans. The City Council’s planning committee has approved part of a £1bn building plan. The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme (MAN-TP) will expand and reconfigure Terminal 2, as a "super terminal" with a new elevated road, and a 7-storey car park and also reconfigure Terminal 3. It wants to demolish Terminal One and its car park. The airport hopes over the next decade the project "will see the airport continue to develop as a global gateway for the UK, directly to and from the North." The airport sees itself as a key part of the Northern Powerhouse idea. The expansion will also create space for 50 food and retail businesses - (airports need to boost profits.) Local Ringway Parish Council are deeply opposed to the planned developments, and say the airport is "our worse enemy." They have been fighting the airport's plans for decades. Ringway PC says the impact on the environment will be ‘massive’. “They build on farmland, knock down old houses and they just don’t care. They don’t care about the environment, about small villages being decimated ...It’s a one-sided exercise, because planning applications from the airport will always be waved through." The building will overshadow local houses, make the roads busier and worsen noise pollution.