Justine Greening MP Chairs 'Groundhog Day' Public Meeting

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Putney campaigners face Heathrow representatives over third runway plans


image: twitter.com/NoR3Coalition

Over 100 residents attended a meeting last Wednesday night (20 February) chaired by Justine Greening MP to be updated on the local campaign against more aircraft noise, hear from the No 3rd Runway Coalition, Wandsworth Council on the legal action and also from three representatives from Heathrow Airport.

Justine Greening showed her frustration that yet again (she made reference to the film Groundhog Day) there was a meeting to discuss Heathrow and the situation that residents find themselves in. She said that not only are residents suffering from recent decisions such as expanding Heathrow and not putting a second runway at Gatwick, but also from the decisions made and issues ignored in the 70's and 80's which have allowed "a hub airport to be in the middle of a city".

Ms Greening has had her application under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) for documents from the decision making process rejected. She explained she was told she had made multiple applications which is therefore a campaign and therefore ineligible - she explained that her job as an MP mean that she needed to make these multiple applications! Her request is now with the Information Commissioner who will adjudicate.

Ms Greening explained to the audience there were currently two consultations on aviation under way:

+ AIRSPACE AND FUTURE OPERATIONS CONSULTATION This Heathrow consultation covers the future operations with proposals from the company/airport for how it will operate three runways at an expanded airport and plans for the design of airspace to accommodate that, but also proposals for how to use its two existing runways in the meantime.

The consultation asks for views on noise, respite, night flights and where flight paths could be in the future. For the first time the geographical areas known as ‘design envelopes’ are published so residents can see which areas might be affected.

The Heathrow consultation runs until 11.55pm on 4 March 2019.

+ AVIATION 2050: THE FUTURE OF UK AVIATION This is a Department of Transport (DfT) consultation and covers national airspace, it seeks to establish a new decision making framework for additional runways across the UK and assumes that a third runway at Heathrow will be built. The paper also sets out carbon emission targets, proposals to manage noise impacts to reduce the impact on public health and quality of life and plans for surface access to ensure it is more sustainable. It also looks at airspace modernisation with new types of flight path and includes a Passengers’ Charter.

The closing dates for comments is 11:45pm on 11 April 2019.

Ms Greening called for all residents to complete the consultations as Heathrow and the DfT need to know what local feel and think.



Matt Gorman (Director for Sustainability and Environment at Heathrow was joined by colleagues Jane Dawes (Airspace modification program) and Sue Thomas (Noise Manager). Their remit was to explain Heathrow's proposals both short term and long term and how this may impact on residents in Ms Greening's constituency. The three areas covered where changes to Independent Parallel Approaches (IPA), Direction of take off and landings and changes to Night Flight operations. IPA's allow the airport to make up on delays by getting more planes landing, however it can also be used to increase the number of flights arriving.

Mr Gorman welcomed the opportunity for Heathrow to speak to local residents telling this website, "We were pleased to be invited along to last night’s public meeting in Putney. We understand some residents in Putney have strong views about Heathrow expansion and it is important that we are involved in these events so we can listen to residents and address any concerns. Heathrow’s Airspace and Future Operations Consultation runs until 4 March 2019 and we would urge local residents to respond with any feedback.”

Next to speak was Paul McGuinness of No3rrdrunwaycoalition group, which is the largest cross party coalition consisting of MPs, local authorities, residents groups, trade unions and environmental NGOs. Their remit is to pressurise the government to drop plans for an additional runway at Heathrow Airport. Mr McGuinness likened the mood of the audience to that of a funeral. He reminded the room that the planning enquiry into Terminal 5 was still ongoing, and in fact is the longest planning enquiry ever held. That one of the conditions of Terminal 5 was to have no request for a 3rd runway - this promise has been broken, how can residents ever trust what Heathrow says again - Mr Gorman later said the management team at Heathrow at that time had no right to make such a promise and that the current team would show that they can be trusted. Ms Greening also stated that she believes "any undertakings as worthless, after the Terminal 5 experience".



The coalition gave attendees a 'response guide' to the consultation which can be found here, Mr McGuinness suggested residents skip the multiple choice questionnaire topics of the consultation as the group believes they are too formulaic to suit Heathrow's aims but to make comments on the public health risks from NO2/NOX and particulates and demanding more research, and to question the safety aspects of low flying planes in commercial drone airspace.

After the meeting, Mr McGuinness commented to this website,“There was clear anger from the audience, at the Heathrow delegation’s inability to answer their questions satisfactorily, as the realisation dawned that Putney and Wandsworth will be severely hit not just by a third runway, but by Heathrow’s intention to add another 25,000 flights before the third runway is built. All of which will mean more planes, more noise and significantly less respite.”

Thamesfield Councillor John Locker confirmed that the Council is currently undertaking legal action against the Third runway decision based upon "legal arguments as we believe the environmental assessments used in the process were flawed", in coalition with other groups. 11 March is the first day of the trial at the High Court against the Government’s plans, being brought by five councils, including Wandsworth, the Mayor of London, Greenpeace UK, Friends of the Earth, Plan B and Neil Spurrier, a Twickenham resident.

After the evening closed he told PutneySW15, “We had 100 residents attend the public meeting with Justine Greening MP and Heathrow. Not one voice was in favour of the proposals to increase capacity and flights. People spoke of their misery of living under the already congested flight paths which will only increase if Heathrow gets its way. I do hope that their representatives will reflect on that feedback and drop their plans.”

Ms Greening opened the meeting for questions to the floor floor. About 16 question were asked from residents from East and West Putney, Southfields and Roehampton and at least two were retired pilots who both were anti Heathrow expansion, citing Gatwick as the better option. Concerns were raised over the low levels at which planes could be flying over the area according to the proposed bands and the associated noise and pollution. The ability to introduce takeoffs over the area with the introduction of the Third runway reducing respite from noise, Heathrow's apparent lack of concern over public health with reference to sleep deprivation, noise, micro-pollutants, risk from ice, bodies and at worse planes falling from the sky over built up areas.

Emotions were high, with residents saying they believed that "we will be hammered", why couldn't the 3rd runway be used to reduce impact already suffered by residents not used to increase flights and associated problems. Mr Gorman did confirm that the airport is proposing to apply for a further 25,000 flights a year following the 3rd runway being built, this would result in an additional 68 flights per day. Another resident was close to tears when she said she did not think she could continue to live in Putney if more flights were introduced - a survey in her home indicated that the noise levels were above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

Putney resident and Leader of Wandsworth Green Party was the only member of the audience who called for the scrapping of the Third Runway due to climate change, citing that the emissions from the runway are predicted to be higher than that of Cyprus' annual emissions. She called on Ms Greening to encourage the Government to stop the plans for Heathrow. Later Ms McCann told PutneySW15: "Listening to Matt Gorman, the ‘Sustainability' Director of Heathrow obfuscate about design envelopes and directional preferences, the words of the inspirational Greta Thunberg, 16 year old Swedish climate activist, rang in my head...'why are the grown ups saying one thing and doing the opposite?'"

" I had no satisfactory responses to my question calling for a halt to all airport expansion: We are facing an existential threat. Climate change. We need to be carbon neutral by 2030 to avert climate catastrophe for future generations. Surely climate change should be right at the very top of the list of reasons not to expand Heathrow. And not Gatwick, not Stansted and not any other UK airport. 70% of UK flights are taken by 15% of the population, and aviation and tourism combined account for around 10% of global carbon emissions. In outlining its plans to not only add a further 25,000 flights annually to the existing two runways with independent parallel approach (IPA) landings starting as soon as 2022, tonight Heathrow continued it’s determined bulldozing over local residents’ views. It showed a total lack of understanding that people living under the soon-to-be-widened flight path may not actually like the idea of more flights and less night time respite".

There were points in the meeting where ironically the audience could not hear the speakers .... due to planes overhead.

To close the meeting Ms Greening called on all in attendance to make their concerns known by completing the consultation documents and feedback forms, and encouraged everyone to use the postcode checker to see the impact to their homes:

Heathrow - The consultation runs until 11.55pm on 4 March 2019. You can respond online at www.heathrowconsultation.com , complete a feedback form available at the exhibition events, send an email to feedback@heathrowconsultation.com or post the feedback form or write to
FREEPOST LHR AFO CONSULTATION.

Aviation 2050 - The closing dates for comments is 11:45pm on 11 April 2019. You can respond with your views online or email AviationStrategy@dft.gov.uk or write to Aviation Strategy, Department for Transport, 33 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 4DR.

As the audience left they were requested by an unnamed individual to join the Stop 700 More Group protest on 11 March at the High Court.

The website has asked Ms Greening MP for her response to the meeting.

February 22, 2019