Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
CEP: Heathrow third runway: Flying in the face of English democracy
The Campaign for an English Parliament has noted that the vote on a 3rd runway at Heathrow was won for the Government by MPs elected outside England. English constituency MPs rejected the 3rd runway by a margin of 20 votes but a phalanx of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs trooped through the lobby to win the day for the Government, overturning, in the process, the democratic will of England. (Politics.co.uk)
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European Habitats Legal Opinion in LAAG’s Favour
A leading planning barrister, Matthew Horton QC has expressed a legal opinion in favour of Lydd Airport Action Group’s contention that Lydd Airport’s Master Plan should be taken into account in the assessment (Appropriate Assessment) which determines the adverse impact Lydd Airport’s expansion plans will have on the European protected habitats that surround its runway. Lydd Airport’s Master Plan sets plans to grow numbers to 2 million passengers per annum. (LAAG)
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Runway opponents reveal rail plan
Opponents of a 3rd runway for Heathrow have revealed plans to make it the centre of a rail network. The 2M Group said its £1.5bn proposal could reduce demand for flights. The coalition of 22 councils said the west London airport should be a hub of a local rail network linking it to 150 stations within a 25-mile radius. This network could be a third of the cost of the Heathrow Hub scheme, favoured by ministers, and better for local people. (BBC)
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Southend Airport station: Just months away
Work is set to begin within the next few months on the new railway station to serve the airport. Engineers from Stobart Rail have been on the site in the last week investigating the best ways to go ahead with the scheme. The Stobart Group acquired the airport lease in November and plan to carry out major rail infrastructure work as soon as possible. The new railway station and terminal building are part of the long-term projected expansion of the airport. (Echo)
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Airport growth at risk at West country airports
Ambitious plans to carry millions of extra passengers from Westcountry airports would be halted if a new runway at Heathrow was built, a report by the Campaign for Better Transport has claimed. The increase in CO2 emissions from an expanded Heathrow would jeopardise the Government's climate change target. So plans to increase flights out of Exeter, Plymouth and Newquay airports would be hit as no other airports in the UK would be able to expand. (WMN)
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Michael Meacher : Parliament is wrong on Heathrow (Guardian Comment)
The government lost the argument for a 3rd runway, but finagled last night's Commons vote. This is not over by a long, long way. The handling of the whole Heathrow issue is regarded as a debacle, that parliament has not been able to correct. The EU could still intervene to halt the runway if pollution levels are not brought down. Under the new Planning Act the final decision awaits the formation of a new, still unappointed, infrastructure planning commission.
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Heathrow third runway vote passed
The Government narrowly won a vote on the third runway forced by the Conservative Party, although its majority was cut by two-thirds to just 19 after 28 Labour MPs rebelled. The size of the rebellion confirmed Brown's fears of a close vote. The small margin of victory will be embarrassing for the Government and the Prime Minister. This is the largest Labour rebellion on an opposition motion since the party took power in 1997. (Independent)
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Government Majority Slashed by Two Thirds on Heathrow
At the end of the debate in the House of Commons yesterday on Heathrow expansion the Government’s majority was slashed by two-thirds. It scraped home by a mere 19 votes. If 8 Democratic Unionists had voted with the opposition parties instead of the Government, Labour’s majority would have been down to one. As it was, this was the biggest rebellion on an opposition motion since Labour came to power in 1997 - and makes the 3rd runway less likely. (Hacan)
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Government scrapes home in Heathrow expansion vote
The Government narrowly won a vote on the controversial 3rd runway at Heathrow after a ministerial aide quit in disgust over the plan. The government's majority of 63 was cut to 19 in a Commons vote after Andrew Slaughter resigned as a PPS. After the vote Labour MP Virendra Sharma quit an unpaid government post to fight the plans. 57 Labour MPs had previously signed EDM 2344, of whom 28 voted for the Conservative motion. (Telegraph and BBC)
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Government aide quits to join rebels on eve of Commons vote on Heathrow expansion
A government aide - Andrew Slaughter - has resigned in protest at the decision to expand Heathrow. He resigned to be able to vote with the Conservatives in the Commons in the debate today - and that it is a quality of life issue. Andrew Slaughter is parliamentary private secretary to the Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown, and MP for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush. His constituency will be irrevocably changed by Heathrow expansion. (Guardian)