Plane Talking To Result In Tough Heathrow Test
insisting on strict conditions for any member state seeking to delay compliance with new air pollution controls.
Council leaders who met yesterday (July 9) with EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas say they are confident he will insist on strict conditions for any member state seeking to delay compliance with new air pollution controls.
The 2M Group had raised concerns at the UK Government's plan to avoid its responsibilities for meeting EU limits on nitrogen dioxide as part of a bid to add an extra 60,000 flights a year at Heathrow.
The additional capacity would be achieved by allowing take-offs and landings to operate in parallel on both existing runways with no break during the day.
Although transport secretary Ruth Kelly has now put off any decision on Heathrow expansion until the end of the year, this would still enable the airport to switch to 'mixed mode' operations during 2009 – ahead of the target date of January 2010 for the new air quality directive.
The 2M leaders told Commissioner Dimas that expansion on this scale would generate one million extra vehicle movements on roads around Heathrow. The result would be higher levels of nitrogen dioxide for local communities.
Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister, speaking on behalf of the group, said:
"We were trying to establish the ground rules for dealing with any application by a member state for extra time in meeting the directive.
"We know the UK government is desperate to find a way round the new nitrogen dioxide limits. If they can't, they won't be able to expand Heathrow. Our meeting with Commissioner Dimas was incredibly positive. He left us in no doubt of his personal commitment to tackling air pollution. We agreed to share with the Commissioner our own knowledge of the unique situation around Heathrow where so many people suffer daily from the health effects of air pollution."
The air quality directive (2008/50/EC) came into force on June 11, 2008.
It requires member states to reduce exposure to nitrogen dioxide in urban areas. The limit value of 40 micrograms per cubic metre should be achieved by January 2010. The 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow' consultation document published at the end of last year concluded that expansion could be achieved within air quality targets.
Baroness Ludford MEP, Edward Lister and Stavros Dimas.
Baroness Sarah Ludford added:
"I was very encouraged by Commissioner Dimas' grasp of the situation and his commitment to ensuring that London's elected representatives, both MEPs and London council leaders, would be consulted in any assessment of a UK bid to 'stretch' the limits."
 The 2M Group is an all-party alliance of local authorities concerned at the environmental impact of Heathrow expansion on their communities. The group, which took its name from the 2 million residents of the original 12 members, now represents 21 authorities with a combined population of 4.5 million people.The full membership comprises the London Boroughs of Brent, Camden, Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, Southwark and Wandsworth, the boroughs of Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead and South Bucks District Council. |
July 11, 2008