Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
It is time for Harringay residents to oppose Heathrow Airport Expansion
On the 15th September I took part in an all-party discussion in Enfield which was sponsored by the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise, or HACAN for short.
The purpose of the meeting was to encourage opposition in this part of London to proposals which the government is now considering under which:
● a third runway at Heathrow Airport would be built..
● the practice of “runway alternation” (whereby residents affected by one flight path get 6 hours respite per day) would be abolished.
In my view, these proposals must be fought by everyone in London. There are three reasons for this.
1. People who are not the most directly affected cannot easily be dismissed as mere NIMBYs. If we stand up for the long suffering residents of West London we will greatly strengthen the hand of fellow citizens who stand to suffer a very great deal from two very damaging proposals.
2. We can help to create a climate in which governments will have to think very carefully before approving anything that may seriously damage the environment. The more widespread the opposition, the more widespread will be the risk that voters will punish those who let the proposal through.
3. It is only a matter of time before we too will be directly affected. The increase in aircraft noise which we have been noticing is not an illusion. Planes waiting to land at Heathrow are stacked above Epping. As the stacks become too full, planes have to come off them early and circle in lower and wider holding patterns.
It is important that all of us should get involved now. The Secretary of the Department for Transport, Ruth Kelly, is likely to be making a decision on runway alternation later this year.
On my website www.davidschmitz.org.uk you can find an online petition together with my speech on the economic case against the proposals. I would also recommend that you visit HACAN’s web site.
Whether you sign my petition or organise one of your own, please get as much support as possible from everyone you know.
David Schmitz
The purpose of the meeting was to encourage opposition in this part of London to proposals which the government is now considering under which:
● a third runway at Heathrow Airport would be built..
● the practice of “runway alternation” (whereby residents affected by one flight path get 6 hours respite per day) would be abolished.
In my view, these proposals must be fought by everyone in London. There are three reasons for this.
1. People who are not the most directly affected cannot easily be dismissed as mere NIMBYs. If we stand up for the long suffering residents of West London we will greatly strengthen the hand of fellow citizens who stand to suffer a very great deal from two very damaging proposals.
2. We can help to create a climate in which governments will have to think very carefully before approving anything that may seriously damage the environment. The more widespread the opposition, the more widespread will be the risk that voters will punish those who let the proposal through.
3. It is only a matter of time before we too will be directly affected. The increase in aircraft noise which we have been noticing is not an illusion. Planes waiting to land at Heathrow are stacked above Epping. As the stacks become too full, planes have to come off them early and circle in lower and wider holding patterns.
It is important that all of us should get involved now. The Secretary of the Department for Transport, Ruth Kelly, is likely to be making a decision on runway alternation later this year.
On my website www.davidschmitz.org.uk you can find an online petition together with my speech on the economic case against the proposals. I would also recommend that you visit HACAN’s web site.
Whether you sign my petition or organise one of your own, please get as much support as possible from everyone you know.
David Schmitz
Tags for Forum Posts: aircraft noise, flight paths
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on
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Hello all,
I'm glad that my understanding of the rules of the site, with regard to political content, was correct.
Although the various parties have not all adopted final positions on the matter, there is in fact very widespread hostility to the expansion proposals across the entire political spectrum. As I understand it, the current situation is that the Lib Dems and the Greens are opposed unequivocally, Labour has not yet decided (although many of its members have decided to oppose) and the Conservatives, while avowedly sceptical about the proposals at the highest level, have not yet ruled out the expansion altogether (see their transport spokeswoman's interview on the Today programme of the 16th August).
The economic case in favour of the expansion has been recognised as flawed by just about everyone except the airports and the airlines which stand to gain from it. Among the opponents are Bob Ayling (the former boss of British Airways), Steve Norris (former Tory transport minister) and Anatole Kaletsky (City columnist for the Times).
My own speech (available on my website along with the petition) acknowledges the debt which I owe to the article in The Economist of 27th March.
In other words, opposition is not confined to people who either do not know the economic case or who regard it as irrelevant because of the serious harm which expansion would mean to the people of West London. Opposition is to be found everywhere.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Sorry Justin, this just in (no pun intended) from Westminster:
High-speed rail not third runway, say Tories
Allister Hayman, 29 September 2008
A Tory government would back high-speed rail over a third runway at Heathrow, shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers announced this morning.
Addressing the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Villiers said that the case for a new generation of high-speed rail lines in the UK was "clear cut".
She said the first step would be a London-Birmingham line, with the Tories pressing ahead with the plan as soon as they took office and construction beginning in 2015.
She said that the line would be completed by 2027, cutting journey time to London to 35 minutes and generating "huge economic benefits" and easing congestion on England's roads.
Villiers said that a Tory Government would scrap any plans for a third runway at Heathrow. She said: "High speed rail transforms the debate on Heathrow. We believe it is a viable and attractive alternative to short haul flights. The economic argument for a third runway has never seriously considered high speed rail alternatives."
Villiers said the London-Birmingham line would constitute the first "momentous step" in a new high-speed network that would eventually link London St Pancras with Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. She said a Tory Government would contribute £1.3 billion annually between 2015 and 2027 to be met from existing capital spend on rail.
She said: "We cannot put of these kinds of long term decisions that the country needs. The case for high-speed rail is clear and it will be a momentous step for Britain's transport infrastructure."
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Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on
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News from Birmingham, Hugh, not Westminster (-:
I know the Conservative Party opposes a third runway. I said so in a previous post.
If anyone is against the propsed third runway, I suggest they sign the independent petition rather than a party-political one which is being used to gather personal information (i.e. one’s email address) to promote Mr Clegg's party...
*http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopheathrowexpansion/
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I'd second that emotion.
(That was Westminster in the figurative rather than the literal sense - but correction appreciated, thanks - and apologies for not having fully read all your previous posts).
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Permalink Reply by Adam on
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Press Release
HACAN warmly welcomes Conservative plan to invest in high-speed rail instead of a 3rd runway at Heathrow
“A bold plan fitting for the 21st century”
The campaign group HACAN has warmly welcomed the Conservatives’ plan, announced today at their Party Conference in Birmingham by Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers, to invest in high-speed rail instead of a third runway at Heathrow.
In her speech to the conference Theresa Villiers said that a Conservative Government were opposed to a third runway at Heathrow. Instead, she committed the Conservatives to building a high-speed rail line.
John Stewart, the Chair of HACAN, said, “We warmly welcome this announcement. It is a bold plan fitting for the 21st Century.”
A study carried out by HACAN in 2006 revealed the potential that exists for high-speed rail to become an alternative to short-haul flights. It showed that over 100,000 flights a year, out of a total of 475,000, serve destinations where rail could become a viable option (1).
Stewart said, “High-speed rail has the potential to cut the number of short-haul flights using Heathrow, so freeing up space for the more long-distance flights from the fast-developing economies of China and India without the need to expand the airport.”
He added, “Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is muddying the waters when she claimed, as she did last week, that, even with high-speed rail, the number of passengers using Heathrow would soon be back to current levels. What she failed to say is that, if there were fewer short-haul flights, it is possible to carry more passengers on a reduced number of flights. Flight numbers is what matters.”
There is evidence that the economic benefits of investing in high-speed rail would be much higher than investment in expanding Heathrow. According to Government figures a third runway would generate £5 billion over a 70 year period. A study by the engineering consultants WS Atkins found that a high-speed rail network linking London and Heathrow to the North of England and the Midlands would bring benefits of more than £30 billion over a 60 year period (2).
Stewart added, “The Conservatives realise that business is not clamouring for a third runway. What they desperately want is a better rather than a bigger Heathrow. This announcement today is good for business, good for the environment and good for local residents.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
(1). Key figures from the HACAN Study: Short-Haul Flights: Clogging up Heathrow’s Runways (2006)
There are 100,000 a year to and from just 12 destinations where high-speed rail is a viable alternative.
The figures* are startling:
Paris 50/60 flights a day to and from Heathrow
Amsterdam 50
Edinburgh 40
Manchester 36
Brussels 30
Glasgow 28
Newcastle 12
Leeds/Bradford 10
Rotterdam 6
Durham/Tees Valley 6
* the figures are those of a fairly typical day but will vary throughout the year
This makes Paris Heathrow’s top destination
Amsterdam is in joint second place with Dublin
And in fourth place is New York with 42 flights, just ahead of Edinburgh
Another 100,000 flights per year serve other destinations where rail could be a viable alternative for some journeys.
The main ones are:
Frankfurt 40 flights per day
Milan 32
Munich 28
Aberdeen 28
Copenhagen 26
Rome 24
Stockholm 24
Zurich 24
Madrid 22
Belfast 20
All the air figures in this report are based on those on the BAA Heathrow website. The rail information is taken from www.seat61.com
(2). High-Speed Rail Report, WS Atkins 20008
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Just for the record:
1. I do not send newsletters or the like to people who register as users of my website unless they deliberately opt in by ticking the appropriate boxes. The opt out is the default position.
2. I do not forward information to "Mr. Clegg's party" or to anyone else.
I promote petitions because sometimes I phrase them rather well and because it often helps the cause in question if it is seen to be backed by someone who holds a position in a political party which has 63 MPs, governs several of our major cities and routinely attracts approximately a quarter of the vote in national elections.
I am, of course, delighted that opposition to the third runway continues to spread.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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This is a bit geeky... but what if?
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"Decision on Third Runway delayed"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7764444.stm
If you want to write to David Lammy, Greenpeace are having a Write to Your MP campaign on this issue:
http://qurl.com/943fs
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