Call for public meeting on Heathrow expansion

8.21.43pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 23rd Jul 2007

Serge Lourie, Leader of Richmond Council, has called on the Department for Transport to attend a meeting in Richmond upon Thames to discuss the government's massive expansion plans for Heathrow Airport.

The Department for Transport, which will soon launch its consultation on a series of proposals for boosting runway capacity at Heathrow, plans to allow just three months for residents and others to have their say.The major proposals include plans for a third runway and sixth terminal at the airport and the introduction of "mixed mode" operations on runways. The moves could lead to a 50 per cent increase in the number of flights at Heathrow. The Government intends to hold an exhibition for the public to explain the new plans, but Cllr Lourie is calling on officials to meet local people and listen to the strength of opposition to further expansion. Speaking on behalf of the 2M Group, an alliance of 12 local authorities fighting Heathrow expansion, he said:

"The scale of the growth now being contemplated for Heathrow is equivalent to building a new airport at least the size of Gatwick. Government proposals to stage an exhibition are not enough. We also need a public meeting in each of the 12 affected boroughs. These proposals will have an enormous impact on the 2 million people who live near Heathrow and Department for Transport officials should be brave enough to meet them face-to-face. The scale of the expansion will have a devastating effect on the environment and the increased noise will heap yet more misery on people living under the flight path. The consultation should not be rushed through and Richmond Council, through the 2M Group, will continue to make sure the views of local people are heard. We lost the fight on Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 but this is one battle we are determined to win."