Councils representing more than six million people have joined forces
to oppose new airport runways at Heathrow and Stansted.
The launch of the new ‘CO2’ or ‘Councils Opposing a 2nd Runway’ at Stansted campaign took place on Monday at College Green, opposite the Houses of Parliament.
CO2 comprises Essex County Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Suffolk County Council, Braintree District Council, and East Herts District Council and Uttlesford District Council.
The new group will be joining forces with the leaders of the 2M Group of councils.
CO2 will highlight the significant environmental impact and the increased pressures the Stansted proposals will have on existing infrastructure and services. The group also calls for the potential impact on local communities to be fully and independently assessed.
Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister said:
'The Government would be wise not to ignore the views of two local authority groups representing more than 6m people in London and the South East. We are not a small minority - concern about airport expansion is a mainstream issue. It is time for ministers to stop giving into BAA and start looking seriously at the alternatives to a policy of unlimited expansion.'
Richmond upon Thames Council leader Serge Lourie said:
'We are sending a message to Ruth Kelly that people affected by airport expansion will not be divided. The Government is out of step with the rising tide of concern about the impact of climate change. In the past it might have got away with cooking up a deal with BAA - today people expect much more from their political leaders. Ministers should tear up the airports white paper and start again with a new sustainable transport policy that sets out ways of managing the demand for air travel.'
BAA submitted the application to Uttlesford District Council last week. It is envisaged that the application will be ‘called in’ by the Secretary of State for a public inquiry anticipated to start early next year.
The Government wants to add another 222,000 flights at Heathrow by the year 2030. Expansion can only go ahead if the Government can show that air pollution levels would not exceed EU limits and noise levels would be contained within the existing 57 decibel contour. A report by the Environment Agency last week cast doubt on the air quality evidence. A separate report on attitudes to noise (ANASE) published last year by the Government showed that an updated benchmark for noise annoyance would be set at around 50 decibels.
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CO2 is a cross-party group of local authorities containing a population of 3.2 million people, and open to all local authorities who wish to oppose the development of a 2nd runway at Stansted. The 2M Group is an alliance of local authorities which orginally represented 2 million people concerned at the environmental impact of Heathrow expansion on their communities. The group has grown rapidly in size and now covers 3.5 million people. It includes the London Boroughs of Camden, Ealing, |
David Burbage (Windsor and Maidenhead); Doreen Weatherhead (K&C); Richard Thake (North Herts); Lord Hanningfield (Essex);Richard Roberts (Herts CC); Jim Ketteridge (Uttlesford); Serge Lourie (Richmond); Eugenie White (Hammersmith and Fulham); Edward Lister (Wandsworth) and Eddy Alcock (Suffolk CC). |
Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Harrow, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark and Wandsworth, the boroughs of Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead and South Bucks District Council. For more information visit www.2MGroup.org.uk |
A second runway at Stansted was identified in the Government’s 2003 Air Transport White Paper as a key part of its aviation strategy. The proposals put forward by BAA on Monday would mean flights from Stansted almost tripling to 70 million passengers a year (from the current 24 million passengers). Traffic on the already congested M11 and A120 routes would also increase by a factor of three with significant increases to traffic on the M25 and commuter rail routes too. The number of aircraft movements would increase by two-and-a-half times from the current 200,000 to 495,000.
Consultation on the Government's proposals for a third runway and increased use of existing runways closed on February 27. Transport secretary Ruth Kelly is expected to announce her decision in the early summer. The Heathrow expansion plans are equivalent to building a new airport the size of Gatwick in the most densely populated part of the country.
March 19, 2008
