U-turn on noise study hailed as a "victory"

6.46.00pm GMT Tue 6th Nov 2007

Richmond Council has hailed a Government U-turn on the publication of a vital study on aircraft noise as a "victory" in the continuing battle against airport expansion.

The rethink means that the noise study will now be published in advance of consultation on a third runway at Heathrow. Transport Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, had previously told the 2M Group of local authorities that he saw no reason why the expansion plans could not go ahead without the information in the study. However, at a meeting with 2M leaders, including Richmond Council Leader, Cllr Serge Lourie, on Monday October 29, the Minister said there would be no further delay in making the findings available. The study was ordered by the then Transport Minister in 2001 and will provide key new information, updating Government calculations on the impact of aircraft noise. Ministers need to demonstrate that further expansion can be achieved without increasing noise exposure in the area around Heathrow beyond the baseline set in the 2003 Airports White Paper. The Minister confirmed that proposals for a new third runway and more intensive use of the existing runways would now be put back until the end of December.

Speaking on behalf of the 2M Group, the Leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Serge Lourie said: "It is unthinkable that Ministers could go ahead with the biggest expansion at Heathrow since T5 without the new information that the study provides. The Government's rethink is a victory for the 2M Group and all those who have backed our efforts to ensure this report sees the light of day. Now we need to make sure that the findings are not dismissed but are used to reassess the impact of further expansion on people's lives. We will argue strongly on behalf of local residents against an expansion of Heathrow, against the ending of runway alternation, against a sixth terminal and in favour of an end to night flights. The current annual movements limit at the airport is 480,000. If runway alternation ended and a third runway was built the number of flights each year at Heathrow could rise dramatically, to around 800,000. This is the equivalent to building a new airport the size of Gatwick."