HSPG MEMBERS
• London Borough (LB) of Hounslow • LB Ealing • Spelthorne Borough Council • Runnymede Borough Council • South Bucks District Council • Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead • Slough Borough Council • Surrey County Council • Bucks County Council
HSPG COUNCIL OPINIONS Ralph Bagge, leader, South Bucks District Council At South Bucks, we recognise the reality that many of the people here have chosen to live in South Bucks because it’s such an attractive semi-rural area with 87% of the land designated as green belt, yet within easy reach of Heathrow. Many of our people are economically dependent on the airport either directly or indirectly, so we balance the benefits we enjoy against the risk of harm to our quality of life through noise, pollution and increased traffic displaced by the expansion. With assurances of adequate mitigation we would be supportive of airport expansion. But my fellow councillors are still
HEATHROW STATISTICS IN NUMBERS • Current size of Heathrow Airport: 1,227ha • Current number of passengers: 75.7 million annually • Of the UK’s top 300 companies, 120 have their HQ within a 15-mile radius of Heathrow • 179,800 new jobs UK wide predicted with a third runway and £211 billion added to the local economy (Airports commission) • 2012: Airports Commission set up • 2016: Heathrow Strategic Planning Group established • Nine out of 10 local authorities surrounding Heathrow make up the Heathrow Strategic Planning Group • October 2017: final decision to be made on the runway
unconvinced by the evidence on noise and air quality. There has been an assumption that because our nearest homes are north of the M4, noise generated by ground movements won’t affect them. This is challenged by our people, who are already disturbed at times when M4 traffic is light. All of the district is potentially at risk of additional noise disruption from overflying, however, it will be some time before routes and respite plans are published. There is work still to be done to understand the effects on air quality locally caused by Heathrow activity. The case that an expanded Heathrow will be in the national interest has been generally accepted. Good international air links are a vital enabler of international trade and since the Brexit vote it is widely agreed that the UK’s future economic success depends on doing business globally. Councillor Martin Tett, leader, Buckinghamshire County Council In its Heathrow National Policy Statement response, Tett welcomed the statement, setting out the principles for assessing a future application to expand Heathrow Airport. “This is an opportunity for residents, business and community organisations to say what they want a future application to consider,” he said. “Heathrow is the country's premier international gateway and post-Brexit, it's even more important that we are a strong globally focused economy. The county council’s support for Heathrow expansion
GW | Heathrow
albeit as an observer rather than a full member. “HAL want to use the group to manage the runway and developments planning applications. It’s given us kudos, because before, HAL would have had to deal with so many different authorities,” says Walsh. If the government’s final decision is to stick with Heathrow, the HSPG will still have a lot of work to do in dealing with numerous planning applications ranging from buildings to rail infrastructure. “It’s going to take four years to even get to a point where a spade goes into the ground,” says Walsh. Just as Graham Alexander Bell brought the world closer by being able to grant people the power to talk to each other on the telephone, so HSPG intends to make sure its own lines of communication are firmly open for the smooth delivery of a potential third runway.
has recognised the national interest but has always been linked to large-scale mitigation of its impact, particularly for the towns and villages of south Buckinghamshire, and the Iver area in particular. “Working with other councils and Heathrow Airports Limited we will be setting out what mitigation is needed and demanding that road and other improvements are delivered in a timely fashion to protect our residents, businesses and the Colne Valley Park. Councillor Ian Harvey, leader, Spelthorne Borough Council Spelthorne has welcomed the government’s announcement of a green light for a third runway at Heathrow. The announcement highlighted that many of the borough’s residents are employed at the airport or in related industries, and that Spelthorne has been a long-standing supporter of Heathrow. Harvey said: “I am delighted with this momentous decision. It is clear that only the expansion of Heathrow can deliver the type and scale of connectivity required to support the country’s long term trading needs, so this is excellent news for both Spelthorne and the country as a whole. We will continue to work closely with Heathrow to ensure that the noise, transport and air quality issues are appropriately addressed and that the interests of our residents and businesses are fully represented.”
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