2M Believes Heathrow Wants Four Not Three Runways |
HACAN vows to fight "tooth & nail" against the third runway
* A North West option in the Harmondsworth Moor involving demolition of 950 pproperties * A North option, very similar to the previous plans for a thirds runway, involving demolition of Sipson and parts of Harlington 2M, which is a campaign group of more than 20 councils affected by Heathrow, is also challenging the airport's claims that it can reduce noise suffering while increasing the number of flights over London. On behalf of Hounslow Council, Cllr Ellar said: “Undoubtedly, new parts of our borough would be hit hard by the south west runway proposal at Stanwell Moor. The north runway – the Sipson option - which unlike its predecessor is a full-length runway, would also have a profoundly negative impact. “The north-west runway, which would cut across the M25, is a surprising development and we would need to examine its potential impact further. With all of these options, we will be carrying out detailed work to understand the noise impact on our communities. ”The submission makes the right noises about noise insulation, but there is no detail yet in respect of the cost of the scheme, and crucially who would pay for it. “The proposal to use only one runway for very late night or early morning departures and arrivals is potentially welcome for our residents, whose night’s sleep is disturbed, but again we would need to see the detail. “At face value the proposals on improving rail links are welcome and would help alleviate congestion on the roads and help existing public transport links which are bursting at the seams, however, we need to see concrete plans rather than aspirations.” Mary Macleod, Conservative MP for Brentford and Isleworth commented "It has been estimated that the number of flights into Heathrow could more than double with the third runway and that around one million residents across London could be impacted by aircraft noise – something that I believe cannot be allowed to happen." Mary promised to fight against a third runway. Boris Johnson suggested three new sites: on the Isle of Grain in north Kent; at Stansted; or on an artificial island in the middle of the Thames estuary and that Heathrow could become a new town housing up to 250,000 people. Commenting on Boris' suggestions, Cllr Peter Thompson, Leader of Hounslow Conservatives stated “We have always argued that Heathrow should be better and not bigger and that remains the position of Hounslow Conservatives. We fully agree with the Mayor that any expansion of Heathrow would be intolerable for local residents. We also agree that something needs to be done to end Britain's chronic shortage of air capacity and it’s good that we have a mayor who is able to think big and explore all options. However Heathrow will always be a major player in our airport provision. The idea of digging it up and replacing it with a new London borough isn’t one we are going with." A public helpline for residents seeking more information about the proposals has been launched. That number is 0800 307 7996. Residents can also go to www.heathrow.com/localcommunity or email communityrelations@heathrow.com for further information. July 4, 2013
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