Heathrow third runway 'will be a costly error'

From the Daily Telegraph website, 5th May 2008

The former head of British Airways has called for an end to Heathrow expansion plans, claiming that the Government's proposal for a third runway will prove a "costly mistake".

Rob Ayling, the former BA chief executive from 1996 to 2000, claimed building another runway was based on a flawed model that had already contributed to the collapse of airlines in the US.
He said Heathrow was a "national disgrace" and was like a Third World airport.

Mr Ayling also said that the third runway was being driven by the airport operator BAA with Government support, and would be counterproductive and "a classic exercise in misguided central planning".

The plans are for a "hub and spoke" centre for transfer passengers.

The model, Mr Ayling said, was pioneered in the US in the 1970s by Federal Express, which used it for transporting packages before it was adapted by airlines.

"People are not parcels," he wrote in an article published at the weekend. "Missed connections, lost baggage and delayed flights created inefficiencies that contributed to the bankruptcy of almost every US airline."

Mr Ayling also warned that "transfer traffic in its own right is loss-making".

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Snowy Longford

This morning Longford woke up to lying snow for the first time in years. Here are some photos of the village.

I also shot some video:

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What did go wrong at Terminal 5?

From the BBC News website dated 28th March 2008

Seventy flights have been cancelled in the last two days as teething problems at Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5 caused chaos. But what actually went wrong?

The problems appear to be due to a combination of factors.

Some were technical, involving glitches with the sophisticated new baggage set-up, which is designed to handle 12,000 bags an hour.

But other issues were more mundane. Employees arriving for work, for example, could not find their way to the staff car park.

BA has said "initial teething problems" with car parking, delays in getting staff through security screening and staff familiarisation had resulted in a backlog of baggage which meant severe delays and flight cancellations throughout Thursday.

The first warning signs came as early as 0400 GMT on Thursday when passengers began to arrive, only to be confronted with the same problems as the staff in trying to find somewhere to park.

The road signs were apparently not clear outside the terminal, and people said they were given wrong directions once inside.

But that was only the start of their problems. All the check-in desks were apparently closed at 0400 GMT, leaving passengers no option other than to form a queue.

Then, when one was finally opened, the resulting rush was "chaos" according to one would-be flyer.
Warning signs

The first flight arrived at T5 from Hong Kong at 0442 GMT, slightly ahead of schedule, but its passengers faced a delay of about an hour to collect their bags.

The problems began to mount and by 0630 GMT a queue of about 300 people waiting to board flights had formed, another passenger said.

As the morning wore on, some passengers had to wait up to two-and-a-half hours to collect their suitcases from baggage reclaim.

An underground conveyor system had become clogged up, according to the BBC's transport correspondent Tom Symonds.

This was being blamed on staff failing to remove luggage quickly enough at the final unloading stage.

Further technical faults also meant seven flights also had to leave T5 without luggage on board.

Check-in suspended

By Thursday lunchtime the cumulative effect meant BA had to cancel 20 flights.

By early afternoon, a queue of more than 100 people whose flights had been cancelled, stood in line to try to get away on other flights or get refunds.

To make matters worse, the luggage belt in one part of the departure lounge failed.

At about 1630 GMT, all check-in at the new BA Terminal 5 was suspended because of further problems with the baggage system.

Long queues were also building up around that time at the fast-bag drop desks, where passengers leave their luggage after checking in using computer terminals.

By about 1700 GMT, BA suspended the checking in of all luggage going into the hold.

This meant passengers already at the airport had the choice of either flying with just hand luggage, getting an alternative flight or claiming a refund.

By the end of T5's first traumatic day, a total of 34 flights had been cancelled and a lot of passengers had been left stranded, either for a flight or even for their bags.

The knock-on effect continued to be felt on Friday with more cancelled flights but for BA the negative publicity will have an effect for a lot longer.


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How to fix Heathrow

The following is from The Economist website dated 27th March 2008:

How to fix Heathrow

LONDON'S Heathrow is the world's busiest international airport. It handles nearly half of the passenger traffic between North America and Europe. It connects the City of London to the rest of the world. It is the fortress that guards the lucrative transatlantic business of British Airways (BA). In anticipation of this month's start of the “open skies” agreement between America and the European Union, other airlines are queuing up to fly from it too.

Yet Heathrow is also the world's most abhorred international airport. It suffers the worst flight delays and loses the most bags. Its endless security queues, rude staff and shoddy facilities plague passengers. Its owner, BAA, which also runs the two other main London airports, Gatwick and Stansted, is an object of much ridicule (see article).

Despite the inevitable first-day glitches, the £4.3 billion ($8.5 billion) Terminal 5, which opened this week, will improve Heathrow for the 40% of passengers who fly with BA. But new terminals will not solve the real problem: a lack of runways. Heathrow has only two, which operate within a whisker of full capacity. It cannot grow to meet demand. And, when something goes wrong, small delays become big ones.

The British government thinks this frames the case for a third runway at the airport. To the fury of local residents and green campaigners—and cheers from the aviation industry—it argues that Heathrow must expand if Britain is to have the competitive hub airport it needs. A decision has been promised before the summer. It looks like being the wrong one.

Up in the air

With the closure of Hong Kong's Kai Tak a decade ago, Heathrow ranks as the airport that does most harm to people living nearby. Thanks to its westerly winds and the east-west axis of its two runways, about 2m people in West London and neighbouring towns endure noise, air pollution and the small, ever-present risk of a catastrophic accident. By relaxing operating restrictions on Heathrow's runways and adding another, BAA reckons it can raise the number of flights from today's limit of 480,000 a year to 720,000. BAA and the government think that because aircraft are getting quieter and cleaner the extra flights will be bearable. But that conclusion is disputed by the government's own watchdog, the Environment Agency.

If the environmental externalities were the only cost of expanding Heathrow, you could perhaps mitigate them by charging airlines for pollution (a good idea, anyway). However, the other reason to doubt the wisdom of letting Heathrow go on growing—the constraint on space imposed by its location in London—is less easy for the government to dispense with. Passenger-traffic forecasts suggest that, shortly after a third runway opens, in 2020, Heathrow will be full again. BAA has talked about a fourth runway, but not even the most ardent Heathrow expanders can say where it would go.

The government thinks this hell is worth it: the British economy benefits from having Heathrow as a competitive hub airport, because the more transit passengers there are—they have grown from 9% of the total in 1992 to 35% in 2004—the bigger the route network and the more valuable the airport is to Britons. But Heathrow will never be a desirable hub airport, because of where it is. It will continue to be out-gunned by Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt, all of which have twice the runway space, greater potential for expansion and better surface transport.
One alternative is to start again. Time after time in country after country, hub airports have been rebuilt farther away from city centres. In the 1970s Britain toyed with the idea of building a big new airport in the Thames estuary to the east of London. But the scheme was overtaken by economic crisis, and the stranglehold of BAA and BA, both of which have a lot invested in Heathrow, has prevented its revival.

A new airport may yet be needed. But, in the meantime, there are ways of making Heathrow better. It is crowded because it is too cheap for airlines to use and because BAA has been encouraged to stuff it full of transit and leisure passengers who it hopes will spend money in its shops. Business travellers, who generate the most value for the wider economy, account for only a third of the airport's passengers.

This suggests a better solution to the overcrowding. First, the price for using Heathrow should reflect the value and scarcity of its capacity. Second, any new capacity should be built at London's other airports. And, third, these airports should be set free to compete with Heathrow by breaking up BAA.

Higher charges would drive transit passengers to the hubs in continental Europe. That would be no great loss. Although transit passengers help BA and BAA, they do little for Britain's economy. If the route network shrinks, the least-useful routes go first. In any case, because lots of people want to fly to and from London, transit passengers are less crucial to maintaining Heathrow's route network than the government thinks.

Competition between Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted would help too. Stansted, with a second runway, would suck in leisure traffic. The new owner of Gatwick, much better placed to grow than Heathrow, would have good reason to build a second runway after 2019 (when an old planning agreement expires), with the aim of attracting one of the big airline alliances—and thus becoming a hub itself.

Slowly does it

Such changes call for an overhaul of the way Britain runs air travel. At present, the landing charges for Heathrow and Gatwick are fixed by the Civil Aviation Authority, which juggles desire for low prices with the need for BAA to invest and make money. It should be told to think instead about charging a full price for using Heathrow, and the resulting excess profits at BAA should be taxed. The incumbent airlines, the big losers, would have to accept that their slots would be worth less and that they would pay more (which is one reason to phase in the change), but their passengers would gain a functioning airport. It is time for the British government to realise that it is not its job to be the champion of the aviation industry.

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The folly of runway 3

The following article is taken from the online version of The Times newspaper:

The deeper you delve into the process that is likely to result in a third runway at Heathrow, the murkier it gets. Today we reveal the extent to which BAA, the airports’ operator, colluded with the government to fix the evidence and ensure that Heathrow’s expansion would get the go-ahead. Officials at the Department for Transport were guided by BAA experts on how to strip out from their consultation document damaging data on the environmental impact of a third runway at Heathrow.
A government with a penchant for dodgy dossiers showed its colours again with the document that went into the public domain on the case for expanding capacity at Heathrow. Data on the impact of a third runway were repeatedly altered, giving the impression that its effect on noise and pollution would be negligible. Figures for carbon emissions were massaged down by the crude device of excluding incoming international flights from the calculations. BAA was effectively given a veto on the contents of the consultation document, being allowed to rewrite it.

This would be shocking enough if BAA was still a nationalised industry but it is not. BAA was privatised more than 20 years ago. It is owned, not by British shareholders, but by Ferrovial, the Spanish conglomerate. The government owes BAA nothing but it is bending over backwards to help it.

If this was not worrying enough, the Environment Agency’s as yet unpublished response to the government’s consultation document on Heathrow should be. The official watchdog on environmental issues says that when it comes to a key measure of the airport’s future impact on air quality, measured by emissions of nitrogen dioxide, the government’s evidence is not “sufficiently robust”.

The effect on air quality as a result of Heathrow’s expansion “will result in increased morbidity and mortality impacts”, in other words more illnesses and early deaths in areas unlucky enough to be under the Heathrow flightpath. Once the decision to expand the airport is made it will be too late to prevent these effects, the agency warns. As a result, it says, “there are arguments for postponing irreversible investment decisions in the face of uncertainty”.

These concerns, coming from an official environmental watchdog, blow a hole in the government’s apparent belief that it can pursue a green agenda and also preside over the irresponsible, environmentally unfriendly expansion of Heathrow. As we have argued before, it is not too late to reconsider alternative options for additional aviation capacity in the southeast, notably a new airport, suitable for the 21st century, in the Thames estuary to the east of London.

Ministers seem so beholden to BAA and Heathrow that they have closed their minds to the alternatives, whatever the cost to the environment and the quality of life. We owe it to future generations to reverse this folly.

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A new bus route serving Longford

A new bus route is coming to Longford to serve the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

It is pencilled in to start on or around 22nd March and is the route 423. It will travel between Heathrow Terminal 5 to Hounslow via Western Perimeter Road, Longford village, Bath Road, Harlington Corner, Hatton Cross and route H23. Operated by London United on existing H23 contract. It will run every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, 30 minutes evenings and Sundays.

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A letter from BAA regarding the transit system works

The following is the text of a letter which will be sent to all Longford residents in the next few days:

Dear Resident,

We are writing to let you know about the works that need to take place on the Personal Rapid Transit system over the coming months adjacent to N3 car park to the south of Longford Village. I have attached an updated fact sheet explaining the scheme (previous fact sheets were sent to all residents in August 2006 and April 2007 and are available on request).

Some of the work will need be done at night. The reason for this is that we need to lift sections of the guideway onto the steel supporting structure and the crane needed for this - because of its height - can only work when the airport is on night time operations.

We will ensure that we do everything we can to minimise noise while we are working and we will ensure that all lighting is pointed away from nearby houses.

Please note that all of the works are weather dependent. If we have to delay the programme then we will pass the information to the editor of the Longford website to communicate to residents.

Programme of works

Monday 18th February: moving medium crane in to position on site
The crane, accompanied by two support vehicles, will be brought in on the night of Monday 18th February from the eastern end of the village and up the track next to the King’s Arms pub.

Monday 18th February – Monday 17th March: construction of the PRT guideway
The crane will be in operation during the night period (8pm – 4am) erecting the guideway.

Friday 7th March moving medium crane off site
The crane, accompanied by two support vehicles, will be moved off site and out of the eastern end of the village.

Monday 7th April: moving large crane in to position on site
In order to bring the crane in a section of wall in front of Heathrow Lodge will be removed and later re-instated. This has been agreed with the owners of the lodge. The crane will access the site from the eastern end of Longford Village.

Monday 7th April – Monday 14th April: construction of the PRT guideway
The large crane is necessary to lift the sections of guideway that will span the Western Perimeter road and Duke of Northumberland river in order to connect the two sections of track on either side of the Western perimeter road. This will be undertaken during the night period between 8pm – 4am.

Friday 11th April: moving large crane off site
The crane, accompanied by four support vehicles, will be moved off site and out of the eastern end of the village.

April – September 2008: fit-out
Once the track has been erected there will be further fit-out works which will involve installing the handrails, the surface of the guideway and the communications equipment which will drive the vehicles.

The majority of these works will take place during daylight hours. However some works will be undertaken at night.

2009: opening the scheme to passengers
We expect to open the PRT scheme to passengers in 2009, and will open it to Longford residents once we have been operating the scheme for 6 months.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of my team on 020 8745 5791 or at heathrowcommunityrelations@baa.com.

Yours sincerely,


Sarah Porretta
Community Relations Manager
BAA Heathrow

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Extend Heathrow deadline call

Councils fighting plans for Heathrow expansion have called on the Government to extend its consultation beyond the end of February.

The call came after 2M leaders wrung an assurance from transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick that he would send out copies of his department's consultation document to residents excluded from the first distribution.

Many residents in parts of Hammersmith and Fulham and Wandsworth have not received any information about the plans for a third runway and all-day flights.

Even in Hounslow, which is right next to the airport, not all households were sent a copy.

Speaking on behalf of the 2M Group, Hounslow Council's cabinet member for aviation Barbara Reid said:

"The minister conceded that Heathrow expansion was a matter that would concern all Londoners. He agreed that people outside the immediate area should be able to comment on the proposals.

"Following pressure from the 2M Group he agreed to order a fresh distribution of consultation material to any postcodes that had been overlooked.

"This could run to tens of thousands of people as communities in all parts of the capital realise that they are entitled to be included in the consultation.

"The Government allowed only the minimum three months for consultation. As things stand it will close on February 27. That is simply not long enough for a consultation of this complexity - especially when the Plain English Campaign has described the wording as 'atrocious.'

"With so many people about to receive this information for the first time it is only fair that the consultation deadline be extended - at least for another two months."

The minister also confirmed that Transport Department ministers would not be attending any of the public meetings being staged by councils and campaign groups across south and west London.He said that attendance at the meetings 'would not bring extra information to light.'

Mr Fitzpatrick was also pressed on whether he would order an independent study of the claimed economic benefits of expansion. He said that the current assessment would be externally reviewed but declined to provide information to the boroughs on how this process would be conducted.

Hammersmith and Fulham leader Stephen Greenhalgh added:

"Many people think the Government has rigged the consultation to give it the answers it wants. The mainstay of its case is the economic argument which is based largely on material provided by the aviation industry. If they are now going to subject this to external scrutiny it is vital that this is done openly and the local authorities fully involved."

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10 reasons to stop Heathrow expansion

From Greenpeace

1 - Heathrow is already Europe's largest airport: adding a third runway will mean a 70 per cent increase in flight numbers and resulting rises in climate change pollution. It's crazy to be paving the way for such big increases in greenhouse gases when we should be doing all we can to reduce emissions.

2 - We'll miss our climate change targets: the plan for Heathrow is one of 20 airport expansion plans across the country. Scientists have warned us that allowing these to go ahead will significantly undermine the UK's ability to meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and stop the worst effects of climate change.

3 - It's unnecessary: almost a quarter of flights from Heathrow are to destinations less than 500 km away and already well served by train. Substituting these flights for train services would reduce the need for extra capacity at Heathrow and have significant environmental benefits, as train travel does ten times less damage to the climate than flying.

4 - The current growth in air travel has damaging effects on the UK economy: 67 per cent of passengers traveling on flights from UK airports are UK residents. This means fewer people holidaying at home which is contributing to a £17 billion annual tourist deficit in the UK.

5 - A third runway will cause 750 homes to be demolished: this means displacing thousands of people and removing an entire village - Sipson in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

6 - Building a third runway will mean more noise pollution across London and the South East: an extra 900 flights day will go overhead.

7 - It will increase local levels of dangerous nitrous oxide (NOx) pollution: NOx is linked to increased instances of asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis and Heathrow is already in danger of breaching EU limits on NOx levels.

8 - British Airways is putting profit before the environment: along with others in the aviation industry, BA is denying the impact its industry is having on the climate and is pushing for a third runway at all cost.

9 - The aviation industry is dictating government policy: New Labour operates a revolving door with companies like BA and has allowed the industry to shape policies which have massive implications for the environment.

10 - Airport expansion is unpopular: 70 per cent of people in the UK are opposed to building bigger airports.

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London's mayoral candidates agree on one thing

From the Comment is Free section of the Guardian Unlimited website dated 19th January.

You know something strange is afoot when four politicians from conflicting corners of the political spectrum find themselves in agreement, and even more so when it comes in the middle of a hard fought mayoral campaign.

Yesterday, instead of spending their energy fighting each other for the support of Londoners, all four candidates - representing Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems and the Greens - have joined forces to fight the expansion of Heathrow. In an advert published this morning in several
newspapers Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick and Sian Berry slam the government's plan to almost double the number of flights in and out of Heathrow.

And they're not alone in their opposition. A recent opinion poll showed that over 70% of people are opposed to aviation expansion.

Recent research found that a fifth of the total flights from Heathrow are to places that could be easily reached by train. If these flights were cut, flight numbers at Heathrow would be at the level they were at in the mid-1990s and we wouldn't need a third runway.

When you also consider the huge impact a third runway would have on Londoners - with more noise and pollution, and villages paved over - it's hardly surprising that the mayoral candidates put away their differences for a moment and spoke with one voice.

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London United

All four leading candidates for the forthcoming London mayoral election have joined forces to fight Gordon Brown's push for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

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Plane crash warning against expansion

Local environmental campaigners have issued a stark warning in the wake of yesterday's plane crash at Heathrow Airport.

Nic Ferriday spokesman for the west London branch of Friends of the Earth, claims the group highlighted the risk of such crashes for people living under the flight path, during an enquiry into the building of Terminal 5 in 1998.

Mr Ferriday, who lives in Ealing, said a proposed third runway at the airport would increase the risk of fatalities.

He said: "We have been saying for 10 years that the Government must take account of the 'societal' risk of a crash at Heathrow.

"This is the risk of fatalities on the ground if an aircraft crashes. The risk is proportional to the number and size of aircraft and the population overflown.

"This means that Heathrow is by far the most dangerous airport in the country.

"Each expansion, such as Terminal 5 or the proposed third runway, increases the risk further."
If a third runway is constructed at the airport large parts of Ealing, Acton, Hanwell, Greenford and Southall will be directly under the new flight paths.

Mr Ferriday added: "By huge good fortune, nobody was killed on this occasion. But there could hardly be a more dramatic reminder of what might happen next time.

"If the aviation industry, British Airways, BAA and the government continue to lobby for Heathrow expansion and a third runway, it will show in the starkest terms how they put profits of the aviation industry above the safety of West London residents."

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Accident to Boeing 777-236, G-YMMM

The following is taken from the website of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch:

Accident to Boeing 777-236, G-YMMM at London Heathrow Airport on 17 January 2008 - Initial Report Initial Report AAIB Ref: EW/C2008/01/01

Following an uneventful flight from Beijing, China, the aircraft was established on an ILS approach to Runway 27L at London Heathrow. Initially the approach progressed normally, with the Autopilot and Autothrottle engaged, until the aircraft was at a height of approximately 600 ft and 2 miles from touch down. The aircraft then descended rapidly and struck the ground, some 1,000 ft short of the paved runway surface, just inside the airfield boundary fence. The aircraft stopped on the very beginning of the paved surface of Runway 27L. During the short ground roll the right main landing gear separated from the wing and the left main landing gear was pushed up through the wing root. A significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft but there was no fire. An emergency evacuation via the slides was supervised by the cabin crew and all occupants left the aircraft, some receiving minor injuries.

The AAIB was notified of the accident within a few minutes and a team of Inspectors including engineers, pilots and a flight recorder specialist deployed to Heathrow. In accordance with the established international arrangements the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the USA, representing the State of Design and Manufacture of the aircraft, was informed of the event. The NTSB appointed an Accredited Representative to lead a team from the USA made up of investigators from the NTSB, the FAA and Boeing. A Boeing investigator already in the UK joined the investigation on the evening of the event, the remainder of the team arrived in the UK on Friday 18th January. Rolls-Royce, the engine manufacturer is also supporting the investigation, an investigator having joined the AAIB team.

Activity at the accident scene was coordinated with the Airport Fire and Rescue Service, the Police, the British Airports Authority and British Airways to ensure the recovery of all relevant evidence, to facilitate the removal of the aircraft and the reinstatement of airport operations.
The flight crew were interviewed on the evening of the event by an AAIB Operations Inspector and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Quick Access Recorder (QAR) were removed for replay. The CVR and FDR have been successfully downloaded at the AAIB laboratories at Farnborough and both records cover the critical final stages of the flight. The QAR was downloaded with the assistance of British Airways and the equipment manufacturer. All of the downloaded information is now the subject of detailed analysis.

Examination of the aircraft systems and engines is ongoing.

Initial indications from the interviews and Flight Recorder analyses show the flight and approach to have progressed normally until the aircraft was established on late finals for Runway 27L. At approximately 600 ft and 2 miles from touch down, the Autothrottle demanded an increase in thrust from the two engines but the engines did not respond. Following further demands for increased thrust from the Autothrottle, and subsequently the flight crew moving the throttle levers, the engines similarly failed to respond. The aircraft speed reduced and the aircraft descended onto the grass short of the paved runway surface.

The investigation is now focussed on more detailed analysis of the Flight Recorder information, collecting further recorded information from various system modules and examining the range of aircraft systems that could influence engine operation.

[My Comment - It is so lucky that the failure of the systems in this flight that happened 2 miles out did not result in the plane coming straight down. 2 miles out on the approach over London into the southern runway would be somewhere over the densely populated area of Hounslow!]

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Airliner crash-lands at Heathrow

A British Airways passenger plane has crash-landed short of a runway at Heathrow Airport, ripping off part of its undercarriage. All 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped from the British Airways flight BA038 from Beijing. Thirteen people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The aircraft came down some 200 metres short of the southern runway apparently after losing all engine power and avionics, forcing the crew to glide the last part of the landing.

It does not bear thinking about should a third runway be built in the crook of the M4 motorway as planned. An aircraft dropping short of the runway is liable to hit the motorway causing massive loss of life and blocking one of the major routes in and out of London for days if not weeks while recovery takes place.

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New transport system for Heathrow

Work has begun on a new transport system to move passengers around Heathrow Airport. The Personal Rapid Transit System will be on trial at Terminal Five for a year before any decisions are made on rolling it out across the rest of the airport.

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Heathrow expansion - Harlington's "army of ordinary people"

Sipson has always been considered to be the ultimate victim of this particular expansion, not least because the whole village is set to disappear under Terminal Six. The biggest displacement of people in the UK since - as local MP John McDonnell pointed out - the Scottish clearances.

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Heathrow protesters let fly

An army of campaigners has been assembled to mobilise millions of people against the expansion of Heathrow.

The campaigners claim the plan makes a mockery of Britain's pledge to be a world leader on climate change, and will mean increases in noise for residents of west London and parts of the Home Counties. They say the consultation is a "farce".

The scale of the opposition means the Government is facing probably the biggest grassroots fight against a major infrastructure project.

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Labour MP John McDonnell accuses Government of Betrayal over Heathrow Expansion Plans

Taken from the NoTRAG website

Labour MP, John McDonnell, whose constituency includes Heathrow airport, has accused
the Government of betrayal over its announcement today that it will back a third runway and
sixth terminal at Heathrow.

John said ”The Government has betrayed the communities that will be devastated by this
massive expansion of Heathrow airport and betrayed all those who believed the Prime
Minister’s promises this week to tackle climate change. The Government’s proposals go well
beyond the plans set out in the original aviation white paper and will double the size of the
airport. This will result in the forced clearance of up to 10.000 people from their homes with
the demolition of whole communities, homes, schools, and churches. People feel betrayed
on every count. “

“Betrayed because the Government promised a short runway, but they have now come
forward with a full length runway with a sixth terminal wiping out even more homes and
communities.”

“Betrayed because it has now been revealed that BAA has been allowed to dictate the
Government’s drafting of the consultation paper. The credibility of the consultation document
has been rendered laughable by the Government’s argument that a doubling of the size of
the airport will have no impact on increasing air and noise pollution and climate change.”
“Betrayed because the consultation has been curtailed and fixed in advance by the
Government is refusing to even have a consultation exhibition in Sipson, the very village they
acknowledge will be demolished.”

“Betrayed because in the week Gordon Brown made his main speech on climate change his
government announces an expansion of aviation which will undermine any attempt to meet
emission reduction targets and is to introduce new planning legislation to prevent local
people having an effective say in the planning process to determine this expansion
proposal.”

“I warn the Government that it now faces against it the biggest environmental campaign that
we have seen in our history, which will permanently destroy its environmental credentials.”

John McDonnell MP
22nd November 2007

Why not now visit the NoTRAG website?

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Heathrow Consultation Roadshows

The two nearest roadshow locations to Longford for Heathrow Expansion are listed below. More locations and dates can be found on the DfT website.



Exhibition: West Drayton
Date: Monday 10 December
Venue:Novotel London HeathrowJ4/ M4 Cherry Lane West Drayton Middlesex UB7 9HB
Opening hours: 10.00 am – 8.00 pm
Public transport:Heathrow tube station (Piccadilly line) West Drayton mainline train station Bus Stop no. 222
Shuttle bus provision: Sipson and Harmondsworth to West Drayton: Running every 30 mins. Route time is approx 15 mins.
Harmondsworth: King William IV Pub, Harmondsworth Lane
Sipson: The Plough Pub, Sipson Road
West Drayton: Novotel London Heathrow
Directions:Map
Parking:120 spaces available. 30 prepaid tickets available. Car park attendants will provide visitors with tickets to avoid personal payment.



Exhibition: Colnbrook
Date: Monday 14 January
Venue:Sheraton Heathrow Hotel Colnbrook Bypass Harmondsworth West DraytonMiddlesex UB7 0HJ
Opening hours: 10.00 am – 8.00 pm
Public transport:Heathrow tube (Piccadilly Line) Bus Stop: Hotel hopper from T3. Free buses to Bath Road stop ‘Hatch Lane.’
Shuttle bus provision: Sipson and Harmondsworth to Colnbrook: Running every 30 mins. Route time approx 15 mins.
Sipson: The Plough Pub, Sipson Road
Harmondsworth: King William IV Pub, Harmondsworth Lane
Colnbrook: Sheraton Heathrow Hotel
Directions:Map
Parking:236 spaces. 30 prepaid tickets available. Car park attendants will provide visitors with tickets to avoid personal payment.

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Noise Pollution After Expansion

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Blighted lives in Heathrow's path

Jack Clark is 95 and has lived in Sipson, Middlesex for 80 years. In all that time, he has fallen out with just one neighbour - BAA.

Read the rest of this BBC News article.

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Problem: Heathrow's in the wrong place

In politics, as in life, you have to know when to stop digging. Once a fundamental mistake has been made, no amount of cosmetics, new initiatives or improvements can overcome the basic tragic error. This is nowhere more true than on the issue of Heathrow.

Terminal 5, the third runway, Crossrail, the OFT inquiry into BAA's monopoly — all of them are misguided political attempts to gloss over the massive, catastrophic flaw that dogs Heathrow and means it will never, ever be what Britain wants and needs it to be.

After decades of aviation misery, campaigning and protest, it is time to face the truth and admit the problem: Heathrow is in the wrong place.

Read more of this article from The Times.

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Angry of Harmondsworth

The following is an article in its entirety taken from the Guardian Unlimited blogs:

At a packed meeting yesterday afternoon, the combined forces of the anti-Heathrow expansion movement heard something they'd always suspected. The consultation, due out today, will be a sham. The government has made its mind up; like it or not, Heathrow expansion is going ahead.
We had gathered to meet with aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick, in a final face-to-face before the launch of the latest consultation on the third runway. Plane Stupid, of course, was not invited, but I snuck in to hear just what Fitzpatrick (coincidentally also environment minister for the Department for Transport) had to say.

The government is launching a "full and open consultation", not on demand for the third runway itself, but on whether the third runway can be built within "strict local environmental limits". The public is not being asked whether it wants a third runway, but whether Heathrow can expand without affecting noise levels, nitrous oxide and traffic levels around the airport. Of course, the decision is a foregone conclusion: the DfT and BAA have been colluding together to make damned sure it'll get the go-ahead.

There's a good reason why they aren't asking if we want expansion. The latest Mori poll shows that 70% of people don't want a third runway, and only 22% of London firms support the runway, according to the London Chamber of Commerce.

Conveniently, keeping the strict environmental limits "local" means that there's one huge elephant in the room: carbon dioxide emissions. In the four and a half years since the white paper was published, aviation emissions have taken centre stage in our anti-expansion arsenal. The World Development Movement recently calculated that emissions from the third runway alone will be the equivalent of those emitted by Kenya. The consultation will contain "data" on emissions, but critically no questions or opportunities to comment on the climatological impact of expansion.
It was all too apparent that those most affected by expansion - local communities and the developing world - are being left out of discussions. Of the 11 "roadshows" laid on for people to debate nitrogen oxide levels with government experts (remember, they can't oppose the runway, just whether it will be "green" enough), not one will take place within the villages set to face the 'dozers if the runway goes ahead. Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington residents will be bussed to nearby roadshows, as "there wasn't a suitable location" available.

When asked where the government plans to re-house those unlucky enough to live under the proposed runway, the minister and his officials looked uneasy. "That's for BAA to decide," one ventured. "They claim it's not their problem," the residents replied. The civil servants fell silent, shuffling in their chairs.

By this point, tensions in the room were running high. The minister, clearly uncomfortable at the barracking he was getting, scribbled a quick note to his secretary: "In two minutes call me a lift pls". He then jumped up, said he'd been paged, and darted out of the room, leaving his officials to face the music.

In the face of the climate science, in spite of the nitrous oxide levels, regardless of the noise impact on almost two million people and straight over the homes and communities of Sipson and Harmondsworth, the government will press ahead for expansion. All that stands in the way are the two million people affected by increased noise, the five million members of Airport Watch, the growing army of environmentalists, the direct action movement and two small villages grown sick of years of abuse at the hands of BAA.

Bring it on!

Heathrow Expansion Plans To Be Announced

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is expected to announce plans today for a third runway at Heathrow Airport and comment on a possible sixth terminal.

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Consultation on Heathrow flights will finally be launched

From the Evening Standard website, This Is London, dated 12th November 2007.

The long-awaited consultation into Heathrow's expansion will be launched at the end of this month, it emerged today.

If accepted, the proposals could see a huge increase in the number of flights over London's skies within two years.

The consultation was pledged earlier this year but was reportedly delayed amid concerns the environmental case for expansion had not been made.

The first stage of the consultation will look at increasing the number of aircraft using the two existing runways. Ministers want to see if the airport could still meet environmental standards if it changed to "mixed mode" where both runways would be used simultaneously; one for planes to take-off, the other to land.

The second stage of the proposals involves building a third runway. If these plans were adopted the number of flights would rise from 480,000 to 720,000 by the end of the next decade.

Heathrow is now operating at 99 per cent of its permitted capacity, with 477,000 flights scheduled this year.

If the new runway gets the green light the airport would have to meet strict standards on noise, air quality and local public transport. A new runway would not open until at least 2015, but if the consultation recommends changing to "mixed mode", residents under the flightpath could notice the frequency of planes increase within two years.

Campaigners fear the consultation will be a sham, with information presented in a way best designed to make the case for expansion. The Evening Standard revealed this summer that Department for Transport officials and BAA are holding near weekly meetings to discuss the consultation.

Last week it was disclosed ministers were planning to use the year Concorde was last in service as a benchmark for noise levels, making it easier to claim there will be no rise in noise pollution as a result of expansion. Protesters say BAA needs to solve the airport's overcrowding problem before enlarging it.

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Aviation industry tricks

The following is a direct lift from The Guradian website by a conbtributor called Richard George. It exposes the tricks used by the aviation industry in compiling questions for consultations.

Call me a cynic, but I'm willing to bet the upcoming consultations on expanding Heathrow airport don't halt the government's madcap plans to lay tarmac all over west London. It's not that I don't trust the public to make the "right" decision; more that whenever the aviation industry asks the questions it gets the result it wanted, even if it contradicts every other survey.

Pro-expansion lobby group Future Heathrow recently published a Populus survey which shows surprising support for Heathrow expansion. They polled 1,000 residents from the west London boroughs that comprise the 2M group, and discovered 56% supported ending runway alternation (switching the runway used for take-offs at 3pm, to give locals respite from aircraft noise). This contradicted last year's ICM poll by the Mayor of London, which found only 26% supported ending alternation? Begging the question: why did the industry survey get the results it did?

Getting the right answers means asking the right questions, and this is a textbook example. Although describing how switching runways reduces the noise impact on local communities, the questionnaire makes no reference to ending alternation. It only asks residents if they support "the more efficient use of Heathrow's existing runways so that more flights could take off from, and land at the airport," a phrase couched in positive-sounding terms designed to elicit support. The ICM poll explained the full effects of switching, and made clear that "mixed mode" would mean an end to runway alternation and an increase in noise. No wonder fewer people supported it.

It's not the first time the industry has asked questionable questions. In 2005 residents of Uttlesford, Essex, were surprised to be door-stepped by Populus, asking (pdf) about the expansion of Stansted airport. Those who took part were asked a number of questions designed to generate false positives from even the most oppositional resident. "Even my interviewer acknowledged that the questions were not neutral," said one participant. "I used to work in marketing and I know a distorted questionnaire when I see one," said another.The survey started simply enough, but rapidly became unnecessarily confusing. "Do you agree or disagree that BAA has come to the right decision in choosing the preferred option (Option A in mixed mode - the eastern central parallel runway) for the location of a second runway at Stansted?" asked one question, despite not explaining what the other options were or how "the preferred option" would impact those unfortunate enough to live near the airport.

The fun continues: "If you disagree with BAA's choice, is there another option you think we should have preferred?" followed by a list of incomprehensible and unexplained options (option B in mixed mode, option B in segregated mode, option C in mixed mode, etc). Participants were asked to rate them on a scale of one to six, requiring exceptional recall of the complicated proposals and the comparative effects of implementing them.

To be fair to BAA, they did consider some of the impacts of expansion: while "thinking about some of the benefits of a second runway," residents were asked to rate suggested positive outcomes from one to five. No reference was made to negative impacts of expansion. Also notably absent from a question on the "environmental effects" was any reference to climate change or CO2 emissions, although "landscaping around the airport" was covered, relieving many who were concerned about a dearth of rhododendrons.

The survey concluded by asking residents to consider five statements, and to agree or disagree with them. Normal practise is to mix up some positives with negatives, but BAA instead chose five fantastic statements about the benefits of expansion. Most galling was the suggestion that "a second runway at Stansted will improve the area in which I live," again those polled complained that there was no option to disagree with the expansion; just statements about it. After local residents objected publicly to the manipulative poll, BAA surprised everyone by going on the offensive. Communications director Mark Pendlington mocked the Stop Stansted Expansion campaign, justifying their decision not to include a "no runway" option by declaring: "the government's aviation white paper stated the first new runway should be built at Stansted," and using a reference in the white paper to overall reductions in emissions as a rationale for ignoring climate change.

Unfortunately for BAA, their excuses didn't wash; local newspapers railed against the company, and people who had previously sat on the fence began siding with the anti-expansionists. The same is very likely to happen with Heathrow. Two million people in west London will be adversely affected by noise and pollution should the third runway get the go ahead and they are going to be very angry if they feel they are being manipulated.

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New hint of a third runway as Kelly says Heathrow 'must grow'

Ruth Kelly gave the clearest hint so far the Government will give the green light to a third runway at Heathrow.

The Transport Secretary said the expansion of the airport was "vital" for maintaining Britain's international competitiveness and securing jobs.

Her comments came as the aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick promised an investigation into the breaching of night flight limits at Heathrow.

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BAA calls for long runway at Heathrow

BAA has begun lobbying for a full-length new runway at Heathrow ahead of the expected launch next month of a consultation document on expansion of the London airport.

The move represents a switch for BAA, which has in the past advocated only a short extra runway, suitable for the small aircraft used on short-haul flights.

A full-length strip (Heathrow’s existing runways are full-size at about 4,000 metres) would allow more flights by larger, long-haul aircraft.

BAA declined to comment, but industry sources confirmed the change in policy. “They are pushing hard on a full-length runway which I find difficult to understand. I think it is because they think, possibly rightly, that getting any new runway at Heathrow is going to be a monumental battle, so they may as well go the whole way,” said one executive.

The government is expected to publish a consultation document on the expansion of Heathrow next month. This will cover proposals for more flights on the airport’s two present runways, and for a third runway.

Both plans are expected to be bitterly opposed by local residents and environmental groups. Heathrow was last month the scene of a “climate camp” at which green campaigners gathered to protest against aviation’s contribution to global warming.

The consultation is the result of a government white paper on the future of air transport issued four years ago. It said that while there was an economic case for expanding Heathrow, it could not proceed until local air-pollution issues were addressed. Stansted was chosen as the location for the southeast’s first new runway.

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Officials help ‘rig’ Heathrow runway air quality

From the Gulf Times website

Published: Tuesday, 11 September, 2007, 06:03 AM Doha Time LONDON: The department for Transport (Dft) is working with Heathrow’s owners to “rig” the way air quality is monitored at Heathrow in order to pave the way for a third runway, the Evening Standard revealed.Documents show that officials discussed moving the monitors at the airport away from the runways so they could record lower pollution readings - a highly controversial proposal as the expansion of the airport is dependent on its meeting strict environmental criteria. The Standard revealed last month that officials at the department were holding three meetings a month with BAA to shape the forthcoming consultation on expansion. At a meeting on March 28 this year, they talked about moving the “source” of the pollution - aircraft and road traffic - away from “the receptor” or monitoring equipment. According to the minutes of the meeting, the DfT’s Michael Jackson says this would be “the most effective” way of “mitigating” the problem of increased nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels. In its aviation White Paper in 2003, the government supported a third runway to come into use between 2015 and 2020, provided it met EU environmental emissions criteria, including one on NO2. If given the go-ahead it would allow 500 more flights a day over London and double the number of airport passengers to 115mn. But the documents reveal how the DfT and BAA are looking to ensure the expanded airport meets its environmental targets. At another meeting, it was suggested they would only use the least polluting cars as the basis for the figures used in the consultation. “This would mean a significant reduction in their NO2 emissions (around 23%),” say the minutes, dated April 4 this year. One of the justifications for expanding Heathrow is that the new Boeing 747 and the A380 Airbus would be cleaner but documents show they will have “10% more take-off roll NO2”. Critics say the consultation is a sham. The process has already been tainted by the disclosure that BAA has received environmental data denied to opposition MPs. – London Evening Standard

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Climate Camp News

The climate camp is attracting attention from around the world.

There is a good article from the website of the San Francisco Chronicle which seems in favour of the protests.

The Independent Online is a South African website and their coverage includes quotes from participants at the camp.

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BAA want Third Runway to be full length.

Heathrow bosses have put themselves on collision course with protesters over plans for a third runway that will be even longer than previously suggested - and capable of carrying bigger jets. (says the Evening Standard website)

Airport chiefs want the go-ahead for the 2,500-metre (1.55 mile) runway capable of handling long-haul flights, which would overturn a Government recommendation that the third runway only be used for short-haul flights.

It could be used by almost all aircraft except the Boeing 747 jumbo jet and the ultra-large double-decker Airbus A380 super-jumbo.

Local comments from the Climate Camp

From The Independent, 14th August

ALFREDO PEREIRA, 54, was transporting his home-made placard in a wheelie bin. Wedged in between his sleeping bag, tent and blankets, it read: "Polite notice to police. Don't worry about climate-change camp - worry about terrorists at airports."

The Portuguese chef, who has lived in Sipson, Middlesex, for 30 years, was not happy after being stopped driving up to the gates of the makeshift eco-village that has sprung up overnight on a former gravel pit next to Heathrow airport. A vehement opponent of plans for a third runway at the airport, he is intending to spend the next eight days ensconced alongside campaigners from all over Europe seeking to highlight the impact of aviation on climate change.

"I am furious. For Britain this is a total disgrace - I am seeing this country in a new light," he said. The mood in the camp was no more benevolent towards the forces of law and order, 20 of whom had paid an early morning call on the 100 or so activists who began pitching tents in this patch of wasteland wedged between the Heathrow runways and the M4 on Saturday night.

The local Labour MP JOHN MCDONNELLwas happy to join in. "If Heathrow gets its third runway this will mean the destruction of 4,000 homes and forced relocation of 10,000 people. It will be the biggest clearance since the Highland clearances," he said.

SHIRLEY OLIVER, 53, former British Airways air stewardess from West Drayton
"I'm absolutely furious. If you look around, how can anyone possibly believe that building a new runway here is good for anyone? In the last three or four years there has been a huge change in the way people think and the extreme weather conditions. Everything you do makes a difference somewhere along the line.''

Climate Camp has begun

More climate change campaigners are set to join protesters who have already set up a camp outside Heathrow airport.

Up to 3,000 people were expected to pitch their tents on Tuesday for a week-long protest against plans to expand the airport.

But about 150 campaigners began building the so-called Camp for Climate Action on Sunday.
In response, airport operator BAA warned it would not allow passengers to be "harassed or obstructed".

Protesters from the UK and abroad are expected to highlight their claims that the growth in air travel is a major factor in greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate activists target Heathrow

Climate change activists are to stage an action week at Heathrow in protest at plans to expand the airport.

More than 2,000 people are expected to take part in a "camp-in" from 14 to 21 August at the west London airport.

The Camp For Climate Action protest coincides with one of the airport's busiest periods of the year, with 200,000 passengers every day.

In addition to setting up camp on a location which has yet to be disclosed, activists will hold workshops and debates.

"There will be a day of mass direct action aiming to disrupt the activities of the airport and the aviation industry," said organisers on their website.

"But in the interests of public safety there will be no attempt to blockade runways."

Heathrow operator BAA said it has applied for an injunction to protect the operation of the airport against any unlawful and disruptive activity.

A BAA spokesman said: "We respect people's right to protest within the bounds of the law and the airport by-laws and would invite protestors to similarly respect the rights of passengers travelling through Heathrow.

"We have proposed a number of sites at the airport for purposes of a lawful and peaceful protest, for discussion at the injunction hearing."

New parking bays for the over 65s

New parking bays for people over the age of 65 are being trialled in three car parks in west London.

The scheme, said to be the first of its kind in the UK, will be rolled out across Hillingdon if successful.

It is hoped it will be extended to street parking, supermarkets and local shopping centres.

Civic Centre car park in Uxbridge, King Ends South car park in Ruislip, and Fairfield Road car park in West Drayton are included in the scheme.

There will be six spaces allocated for those over 65 in each of the car parks during the month-long trial.

Leader of the council, Ray Puddifoot, said: 'With approximately 35,000 older people living in the borough and many others visiting and working here, we hope that the new initiative will ease the parking experience for all those who use their car as a main form of transport.' "

Another victory in battle to curb airport growth

The following is extracted form an article on The Independent website dated 10th July 2007

A dramatic grassroots fightback is under way against the massive expansion plans of Britain's airports which, despite grave concerns about effects on the environment, are aiming to treble flights and vastly increase passenger numbers within 20 years.

In an unexpected triumph for campaigners yesterday, Manchester airport's plans to expand on to green belt land which it owns in Cheshire were rejected by a government planning inspector, who supported the objections of Macclesfield Borough Council. The decision follows a similar triumph for Warwick District Council, whose opposition to ambitious development plans at Coventry airport have halted plans to double passenger numbers.

Britain's largest protest against the vast airport expansion plans, which seem to be out of kilter with the Government's pledges on carbon emissions, will take place at Heathrow next month when Camp for Climate Action, an annual gathering of hundreds of environmental campaigners, will spend eight days camped there. The airport's operator is preparing to submit planning proposals for a third runway.

Jeff Gazzard of the Aviation Environment Federation said the power of local communities and local authorities was having an effect. "This is the moment that communities are beginning to demonstrate a case for why airport development should be constrained," he said. John Stewart, of the environmental group, Airport Watch, said the organisational prowess of individual airport protest groups meant they were punching above their weight. "You can never entirely untangle a financial decision from the effect of a campaign," he said. "But there are some really strong local campaigns."

One of David Cameron's six policy review groups has urged a moratorium on new runways until there is compelling evidence that railways cannot offer lower-emissions alternatives. But there are new fears for campaigners. Last month's Planning White Paper, which streamlines planning procedures for major infrastructure projects, such as power stations and airports, threatens to remove their power to effect change altogether.

Challenged: Heathrow
With owner BAA preparing to submit planning proposals for a third runway, it is set become the focus of one one of Britain's biggest and most high profile airport protests yet when Camp for Climate Action, an annual gathering of hundreds of environmental campaigners, spends eight days camped there next month.

Challenged: Stansted
Following the local Uttlesford district council's rejection of its expansion plans on environmental grounds last year, a public inquiry has been under way since May into proposals to increase the maximum number of passengers flying in and out of rural Essex from 25 million to 35 million people a year. Will not be concluded until the autumn.

Challenged: Gatwick
Its masterplan includes an option for a second runway to increase annual numbers by 40 per cent to 45 million. More municipal opposition: Mole Valley district council has expressed concern about the airport's failure to invest in its railway station.

Rejected: Manchester
Against all expectations, the local Macclesfield borough council has won a planning inquiry to prevent the airport expanding onto Cheshire green belt land, to create extra car parking as it seeks to increase passenger numbers, from 22 million a year to 50 million by 2030, doubling its revenue to £2.1bn.

Rejected: Coventry
Its plans to build a new terminal, capable of handling up to two million passengers per year, have been kicked out by a planning inquiry forced when Warwick district council opposed the plans. Coventry wanted to increase passenger numbers to two million per year. Its managing director, Chris Orphanou, said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the planning decision.

Abandoned: Birmingham
Plans for a pounds £2bn second runway at Birmingham International Airport are to be shelved indefinitely. The airport's masterplan, due to be published soon, will conclude that forecast passenger figures are unlikely to be high enough to justify an additional runway for at least 25 years. A £120m extension to the main Birmingham runway is expected instead.

Abandoned: Luton
After major environmental protests, its owner, TBI, has withdrawn proposals for a full length replacement runway to the south of the existing runway, with a new terminal. The company said the development would take too long to make a return on the money that it would cost to build and that it will now focus on the existing airport.

Opposed: Bristol
One of Britain's most organised campaigns against airport expansion, the Stop Bristol Airport Expansion, is currently coordinating opposition to the airport's masterplan which envisages a doubling of passenger numbers to nine million by 2015. North Somerset district council's frosty official response to the masterplan suggests that planning permission will be hard won.

Approved: Bournemouth
The economic benefits have outweighed environmental worries for Christchurch Borough Council Given which has approved a £32m redevelopment. The airport expects to be handling more than 3 million passengers by 2015, a steep increase on the 970,000 passengers this year.

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Longford Village Conservation Area Appraisal

The London Borough of Hillingdon have recently published the latest appraisal of the Longford Conservation Area. If you want a copy, you can either send them £6.00 for a hard copy, or you can click this link to the appraisal which will open the document from the council's website.

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New photo of Longford from 1900

With grateful thanks to our local historian, Philip Sherwood, I have recently been sent an image of Maywin Cottages dating back to 1900. It has been added to the thisislongford website and is also displayed here.

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Facing the Crunch - Heathrow Airport

The following is an extract from a Flight International article.

Heathrow is one of the worst-sited airports in the world serving a major city. Since Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport closed in 1998 Heathrow has become the only world hub airport sited so that the prevailing-wind approach paths pass directly over the heart of the capital city within a few metres of the UK's centres of government and military headquarters. But that is an accident of history which the government is in no mood to change. Alternatives have been sought over the past 30 years, and some of them - like Thames estuary sites - have been mooted several times, but all the suggestions have foundered. There are, however, only two alternative courses of action for the government: develop Heathrow's capacity, or develop the other London area airports. Once there was a third way: to do nothing. But that stopped being an option when it disappeared from the consultation documents following the first stage in the process that led to the government's Future of Air Transport white paper.

If Heathrow were given clearance for mixed mode operation of its twin parallel runways and also to build a third runway, the biggest single challenge would be to keep local air quality levels within European Union limits. HACAN Clearskies, formerly the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise, has just warned its members that there are signs that Heathrow owner BAA is pushing the government to fast-track the third runway. All this will become clearer in October when the Department for Transport has gathered all the research evidence, all the comments generated by the white paper, and runs a final round of consultation focused on Heathrow.

The airport's air traffic services provider NATS has just revealed that it has dropped plans - for the time being at least - to conduct trials at Heathrow on the behaviour of wake vortices. Their purpose would have been to validate procedures for applying time-based separation between aircraft on approach instead of distance-based separation, which would provide a potential improvement to the landing rate under certain wind conditions. NATS is clearly less impressed than Eurocontrol at the potential for time-based separation to improve runway usage, and is worried by the sheer difficulty of making it work safely. But NATS' main reason is that there is no point in running trials at Heathrow with its existing runway operating system if the government is about to clear it to run mixed-mode operations, which would invalidate the results.

The decisions about Heathrow's future affect so many people, companies and countries that the UK government must not delay them or fudge them.

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Climate change activists plan Heathrow camp

Climate change activists said yesterday that they expected more than 2,000 people from all over Britain to join west London residents in a mass direct action against plans to expand Heathrow airport.

The activists announced that they would set up a "high impact" climate camp near the airport between August 14-21.

For more details, read this from The Guardian.

Stansted Inquiry Begins

A public inquiry into British Airport Authority (BAA) plans for expansion of the capacity of the existing runway at Stansted Airport in Essex is due to start today. BAA wants to increase passenger numbers from 25m to 35m a year. Stop Stansted Expansion is campaigning against proposals to expand the airport.

This inquiry will be a rehearsal of the arguments from both sides of the divide for later inquiries into additional runways both at Stansted Airport and at Heathrow Airport.

Suspension of Runaway Alternation 11-18 June

BAA Heathrow have informed the Longford Residents' Association that due to essential works on one of the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at Heathrow, they will be suspending runway alternation between 11-18 June. The ILS for the southern runway, when the airport is on westerly operations, will be taken out of ervice for one week. This means that the vast majority of arrivals will have to use the northern runway during this time. Consequently, the majority of departures will be from the southern runway.

Terminal 5 to open on 28 March 2008

The new £4.3bn Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport will be ready in exactly one year, planners of the scheme have said.

Terminal 5 will undergo six months of tests involving 16,000 volunteers before its opening on 27 March 2008.

Work on the terminal began in 2002 after a record-breaking four-year public inquiry prompted by local residents and green groups.

Offences against Sanity

An excerpt from a Times column by Rachel Johnson.

British Airways has revealed that it is to increase by 100 flights a week its new short-haul CityFlyer cheap flights, and the Times columnist Mary Ann Sieghart wrote a piece in which she set out her reasons for continuing to holiday and travel abroad. “Travel to other countries is great for individuals, great for the country they visit, and great for the country to which they return,” she said, as if her family holiday to Cambodia was not merely a super way of spending the Easter hols, but a profound moral good.

Both made my good mood melt faster than Arctic sea ice. For if we take the green laws just announced by our own government to their logical conclusion, they would mean no third runway at Heathrow, a moratorium on building new terminals, fewer cheap flights and a vast reduction in the projected 465m passengers who will be using UK airports by 2030.

But if journalists and moral leaders , such as brainy Mary Ann and meddlin’ Prince Charles and groovy Al Gore, all think it’s all right for them to fly (because they are marvellous, basically) and say so, there’s no hope. If the great and the good are not going to cut air miles because their journeys are important and ours are not, it makes no sense whatsoever to place the onus on saving the planet on the rest of us who fly as cattle.

This is one area where the government needs to legislate. Now. It needs to stop the reckless expansion of aviation for us because we — not even clever, nice, educated philosophers and radical thinkers — clearly aren’t going to do it for ourselves.

Tales from the Country

Tony Francis investigates the threat that the expansion of Heathrow Airport poses to Harmondsworth, Longford and Sipson, and the blight of local residents.

Tales from the Country - Part One





Tales from the Country - Part Two

Water companies lift hosepipe ban

Four water firms in the south east of England are lifting their hosepipe bans after months of above average rainfall.

Thames Water, Southern Water, Three Valleys Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water have lifted the ban, which affected more than 13m customers.

The restrictions were introduced last year and in 2005 following record dry winters for two consecutive years.

Thames Water said heavy downpours over the past four months had raised groundwater levels which are expected to become normal by February.

Despite the lifting of the hosepipe and sprinkler bans, all four companies are urging customers to keep aware of how much water they are using.

Fogging the Heathrow runway issue

Campaigners have slammed the idea that the proposed third runway at Heathrow would help to overcome the havoc the fog caused recently.

They have pointed to a discrepancy in the way in which airport traffic is measured, with John Stewart, Chair of HACAN ClearSkies, rejecting the argument, that because Heathrow has only two runways, London was losing out to other European cities.

Geraldine Nicholson, chair of the No Third Runway Action Group, said: "Talk of a third runway is clouding the issue.

"Are people really saying that thousands of people should be evicted from the homes and billions of pounds spent on building a new runway just to cater for a handful of foggy days?"

Mr Stewart believes the correct way to measure whether Heathrow needed to be expanded, in order to remain competitive, is by comparing all the airports that serve a city. In London's case, that would mean Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, London City as well as Heathrow.

Mr Stewart, said: "The figures show London's airports are way ahead of their rivals in terms of passenger use.

"In 2004, 128 million passengers used London's airports, more than any other city in the world.

"Paris, London's closest European rival, was in fifth place with 73 million passengers. Frankfurt and Amsterdam were out of the top ten with 51 and 45 million passengers respectively.

Whatsmore, in the preceding 10 years, London actually increased its lead over both Paris and Frankfurt."

Christine Shilling, press officer for No Third Runway Action Group, added: "I can't see how a third runway would really help anyway in the fog. The logic of demanding a third runway to cope with fog is like the AA encouraging more of us on the roads because it's foggy."

Third Runway Consultation in 2007

The following snippet was found in the Winter 2006 issue of Heathrow Inform, the community newsletter sent out by BAA.

The Government have confirmed that a single consultation, covering all proposals for a possible third runway or mixed mode (ending runway alternation) will take place in 2007.

Studies on the environmental impacts of the plans will not be completed for some months and the Government wish to have a full understanding of these before inviting public responses,

More information will be available from the Department for Transport when dates for the consultation are finalised.

BA grounds all domestic flights

Due to persistent fog all over the south east of England yesterday, British Airways grounded all domestic flights out of Heathrow Airport.

BA and other airlines cancelled more than 180 flights to and from Heathrow on Wednesday.

BA said it plans to run about 220 shorthaul flights to and from London Heathrow on Thursday, out of a normal daily total of 400 shorthaul and domestic flights.

The BBC Weather Centre says the poor conditions are set to continue for the next few days when many people will be travelling for the festive break.

The Residents' Association were contacted by BAA to warn that the airport has received permission to continue air operations through the night periods while the fog continues to assist in clearing the backlog of flights. This will therefore mean that the usual restriction on the number of night flights will be exceeded while the weather remains foggy.

Airport expansion plans confirmed

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to airport expansion plans despite opposition from green groups.

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander told MPs the government was committed to a third, short runway at Heathrow airport and a new runway at Stansted.

The "progress report" on the 2003 Aviation White Paper has angered environmentalists, who want a curb on flights and expansion.

The Tories said Labour's air policy clashed with its climate change stance.

Campaign group HACAN ClearSkies said it would continue to fight against Heathrow's expansion, with chairman John Stewart saying 700 homes would have to be demolished, while 150,000 more people would be under the flight path for the new runway.


A group formed by seven London boroughs and four authorities outside London, representing two million people living under the flight path, called for a "far-reaching, independent study which includes the full environmental cost of aviation and looks at the impact of spending on flights on the wider economy."

This week, the Office of Fair Trading said it was recommending the Competition Commission hold a full inquiry into airport ownership - a move threatening BAA's ownership of Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports.

Friends of the Earth's aviation campaigner Richard Dyer said: "The anticipated growth in air travel threatens to destroy government plans to tackle climate change."

Heathrow: 'Let battle commence'

Heathrow campaigners vowed there would be "the mother of all battles" if the Government goes ahead with plans for a third runway at Heathrow.

In the Progress Report on the 2003 Aviation White, published today (Thursday), the Government restated its view that it favoured a third runway at Heathrow if air pollution levels in the area could be kept within the legal limits set by the European Union.

But the introduction of a third runway would mean that at least 700 homes in Hillingdon would be lost and historic villages wrecked forever. Overall it is expected that the quality of life for more than two million people will be irreparably damaged if the Government goes ahead with its plan for a third runway.

Leader of Hillingdon Council, Cllr Ray Puddifoot, said: "The detrimental effects of a third runway at Heathrow are immense. Our residents already deal with the environmental impacts of having Heathrow on their doorstep, for example pollution levels in the villages around the airport currently exceed EU guidelines.

"We appreciate that the airport is a large regional employer and has international status but if you include the environmental costs of aviation, the 'economic benefit' soon turns to deficit. The Government needs to play fair by the two million people in the communities affected by aircraft noise and pollution."

Runway protest set to roar

People in Acton could have more sleepless nights with up to 500 more flights a day planned for a new runway at Heathrow.

The runway is likely to get the go-ahead after reports stating the the Government is endorsing the proposals. But Acton residents living under the flight path could suffer due to the huge increase in air traffic.

The move to increase the number of daily flights by 500 comes after the Eddington Report recommended greater expansion in London's airports in order to maintain growth and keep London as the "premier financial centre" of Europe.

It is thought the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will oppose the move, arguing the economic benefit does not outweigh the harm caused to the environment - a position the Government appears to disagree with.

BAA Airport Assets Face Possible Breakup

Grupo Ferrovial SA's BAA unit, the world's biggest airport operator, faces a possible breakup by the U.K.'s antitrust regulator after airlines complained about fee increases and a lack of competition.

BAA, the owner of London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, handles 90 percent of airline passengers in southeast England and 80 percent in Scotland, the Office of Fair Trading said in a statement. BAA will be referred to the U.K. Competition Commission after the office completed an initial probe.

British Airways Plc, Ryanair Holdings Plc and EasyJet Plc have demanded the breakup of BAA, the London-based company Ferrovial bought in August for 10.1 billion pounds ($19.9 billion), citing rising charges and expansion costs. Heathrow has almost completed a 4.3 billion-pound fifth terminal, and BAA last year proposed a 2.7 billion-pound second runway at Stansted.

``There is an incentive for them to blow billions building over-specified airport facilities'' to maximize returns on investments, Ryanair Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said in an interview today. ``What we need is much more efficient investment, building airport facilities that the airlines and their users want, at a much lower cost'' than in the past.

'Malicious speculation' over Heathrow expansion

Rumours that it would be possible to expand Heathrow without compromising pollution levels have been branded malicious speculation by the aviation industry, according to Hounslow Council.

Hounslow's Leader, Cllr Peter Thompson, added: "You don't have to be a scientist to realise that more planes means more pollution. It is highly irresponsible to be considering further expansion at Heathrow when local residents are already experiencing levels of air pollution that exceed EU limits.

"Hounslow residents will not tolerate any more expansion. The Government's insistence that Heathrow can only be an economic success if it is allowed to expand indefinitely is short-sighted and irresponsible.

"We neither want nor need a Third Runway at Heathrow. It's time the Government focused its energies on making Heathrow both an economic success and a responsible neighbour."

The Eddington Report

The Government has today issued the Eddington Report which it commissioned the ex-chief Executive of British Airways to produce looking at transport infrastructure in the UK.

The release of the document is covered in this BBC report which also provides links to the actual report itself.

Whilst the main headlines are predictably about road-pricing (Isn't that what the tax on fuel is? The more you use, the more you pay?), what is of interest to the people in this part of the UK is what he says about aviation.

Unsurprisingly, as the former boss at BA, he doesn't think that aviation is much of a problem in the UK, contributing only (he says) about 1.2% of carbon emissions for journeys within the country. He uses this figure to argue against the building of any new dedicated high-speed rail lines across the country or up to Scotland.

In a follow-up article, this BBC report takes a look at what some experts have to say about the Eddington Report.

A spokesperson for the campaigning group, Transport 2000, said,

"We need a growing railway, and while we might not need a high speed line, we will need big increases in capacity to cater for increased use with road pricing and new development.

By 2050, aviation will account for 46% of UK carbon emissions, and the Eddington report makes it clear that a lot of the airport expansion supported by the government is not essential to the economy. We need a rethink."

Tony Bosworth, the senior transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said,

"This review sends mixed messages about the role of transport policy in tackling climate change.
We welcome Sir Rod's acknowledgment that large-scale road-building is not the answer to our transport problems, and that road-pricing and more investment in alternatives to the car are needed.

But aviation is on a collision course with UK climate targets, and airport expansion will send us in totally the wrong direction.

The government's response to this report is critical. Cutting carbon dioxide emissions must be the central theme of future transport policy."

Sign our petition against expansion of Heathrow Airport

There is now an online petition against expansion of Heathrow Airport. People can sign this petition until 29th January 2007.

At that time, the results of the petition will be presented to 10 Downing Street.

Urge your friends, your family members, your work colleagues to sign this petition. If you care about Longford village and the other 'Heathrow Villages', then this is one way to make your voice heard.

Do it - and do it today.

The petition can be found at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Heathrow/

Stansted airport expansion plan refused

Expansion plans for Stansted Airport which could boost passenger numbers have been rejected, amid objections including the effect on climate change.

Uttlesford Council turned down BAA's planning application to extend the existing runway.
The airport operator wanted to increase passenger numbers to 35m a year.

The impact of expansion on climate change and the local environment had concerned councillors. BAA said it would appeal against the decision.

Source: BBC News website dated 29th November 2006

Mutiny at Harmondsworth Detention Centre

A mutiny inside the UK's largest immigration centre has been contained, the Home Office has said.

Detainees at the 500-capacity Harmondsworth centre, just 200 metres from the north of Longford village, staged a protest about living conditions in the early hours.

Fires were started and about 50 asylum seekers spelt out "help" and "SOS" with bed sheets in the courtyard.

The Home office said the situation was contained but some of the detainees would be moved from Harmondsworth.

Source: BBC News website dated 29th November 2006

Radioactive traces on BA planes at Heathrow

Traces of a radioactive substance have been found on two British Airways planes at Heathrow Airport, says BA.

The Boeing 767s, plus a third in Moscow, are being tested as part of the probe into the death in London of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.

BA is contacting passengers who travelled on the 120 European flights affected, including the London to Moscow route.

The airline said it had been advised the risk to public health was low.

Source: BBC News website dated 29th November 2006

1 man murdered, 6 injured, in Harlington incident.

On Friday 24th November, the BBC reported that a man had died and another had been critically injured during a street fight in west London.

Officers were called to reports of a violent disturbance in Harlington High Street early on Friday morning.

The Guardian reported that Edgar Money, owner of the Harlington Tandoori, said he believed a man had broken into a cafe in the High Street at about 4am, shortly before the fight took place.
He said: "I think that about 4am a man broke into the cafe and he made himself a cup of coffee. He was there for about half an hour -, apparently he was watching cartoons. Then he came out and jumped into a car."

Mr Money said he thought the man got out of the car again further down the road. "He drove about 400 yards and then got out of the car again, that's what the police told me happened.
"That's when the fight happened. The police haven't said if the two things were linked, it's all very strange. It's chaos in the road here."

On Saturday, the BBC reported that a 30-year-old has been charged with the murder of a man following a street fight in west London. Suryakant Purushottam Patel, 60, from Southall, west London, died from head injuries on Harlington High Street on Friday morning.

Laidi Benomor, of no fixed address, has been charged with his murder, the attempted murder of a 69-year-old man and five counts of actual bodily harm. He is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Monday. Mr Benomor, who is Tunisian-born, has also been charged with the burglary of a cafe in Harlington High Street on Friday.

Climate change test for airport plans

Wandsworth Council is backing a national campaign calling on the Government to review its plans for building extra runways in the light of growing concern about the impact of aviation on climate change.

A report published by a group representing 60 local authorities reveals that passenger growth has exceeded Government forecasts in six out of the last eight years. It says that this will mean many airports growing even faster than planned.

The discussion paper, which is produced by the aviation group SASIG, comes as the Government gets set to publish a progress report on implementation of its 2003 airports white paper.

Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister said: "The big threat in south and west London is the Government's plans for uncontrolled expansion at Heathrow. This includes proposals to increase capacity at the two existing runways by ending runway alternation while the industry prepares for the construction of a third runway.

"For ministers to just plough on with their plans for new runways as if nothing had changed in the last three years would be a blinkered approach. The SASIG options spell out the reality of airport planning decisions - either ministers grasp the nettle and start managing growth or they sit back and allow a free-for-all in airports expansion. Either way it is a debate in which the public is entitled to have its say."

Source: 24dash.com dated 20 November 2006

BA's Willie Walsh puts greed over the environment

In what seems like the beginning of another round of pushing by the aviation industry, Willie Walsh, the new Chief Executive at British Airways, claims that green policies will hurt the economy (as if having the south east of England underwater would do it much good either!).

Unsurprisingly, in the article in The Guardian dated 14th November, he compares the aviation industry now with the London Docks of 50 years ago and predicts dire consequences if we don't add another runway to Heathrow. The comparison is not valid. Would another dock in the Pool of London have saved the docks? I think not.

I was glad to see that the article included a rebutall from Tony Bosworth, the aviation campaigner from Friends of the Earth.

"Aviation is the fastest-growing source of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. More runways will mean more emissions at a time when we are trying to make big cuts. If the government is serious about tackling climate change it must abandon its airport expansion plans," Mr Bosworth said.

1883 map added to the Longford website

We have gratefully received permission to reproduce the following map which dates from around 1883. It shows the area around Longford to Shepperton in the south and from Mad Bridge in the West to Cranford Bridge in the East. This is a particularly interesting map as the area that Heathrow Airport currently stands on is shown in good detail.

The map is on this page: http://www.thisislongford.com/images/groom16.jpg

With thanks and appreciation to David Hale who runs the MAPCO : Map And Plan Collection Online website which can be seen at http://archivemaps.com

The Middlesex map is taken from this page.

Glass Recycling Starts 1st December 2006

From Friday 1st December 2006 residents will be able to put glass bottles and jars into their recycling bags mixed in with newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles and steel and aluminum cans.

Detailed below are answers to questions you may have about this improvement to the weekly household collection service for mixed dry recyclables :-

I thought glass collections were due to start earlier this year ?
We had hoped to be able to start earlier but as with any new technology there were a few problems that only came to light when the equipment was being installed and therefore the delays were necessary to ensure that we avoid future disruption to the service by taking more time at the start to get it right.

Do you want residents to put glass into a separate bag ?
Absolutely not! The key to our approach is that residents should mix their glass bottles and jars in with their other mixed dry recyclables which will then act as a cushion for the glass. This also means that bags would not be as heavy compared to a full bag of glass.

Some people think using plastic bags to collect glass is dangerous ?
Whilst we understand residents' concerns in practice it proves not to be a problem. If you think about it residents who do not or cannot recycle their glass bottles and jars at the moment end up putting them into their black refuse sacks mixed in with their other household wastes which cushion the glass stopping it from breaking. It will be no different with putting glass into your recycling bags.

Are there types of glass you don't want ?
Yes. We cannot accept Pyrex, or glass from windows, cars, or mirrors.

What about smashed glass bottles and jars ?
So long as residents securely wrap and / or box up their smashed glass before putting it into their recycling bags it should not be problem. We would also ask residents where possible to put boxes into their recycling bags to prevent problems being caused by boxes getting wet when it rains.

Previously concern has been expressed about the strength of the bags supplied by Hillingdon for recycling ?
Bag strength is a complicated issue. Depending the on the specific blend of the materials used to make a bag thicker does not necessarily mean stronger. However, in general terms, in response to residents concerns the bags that we are issuing from now on will be thicker to take account of the fact that residents will be recycling their glass bottles and jars. As bag technology continues to develop Waste Division officers will keep under permanent review the bags we use with a view to making further improvements.

So residents should not use their current supply of bags for recycling glass ?
No that's not what we mean. So long as residents do not overload individual bags we see no problem with using the bags that have been previously issued. The key is to keep the overall weight down by using more bags as opposed to overfilling a single bag.

Did you consider using boxes for collecting glass as in some other boroughs ?
When the Authority asked officers to look at incorporating glass into the household collection service for the mixed dry recyclables a number of key design principles were identified that created a context under which proposals were developed. This included the need to avoid single purpose collection vehicles that only have one use and which cannot easily be maintained or replaced; the need to avoid the creation of separate back office support systems; and the need to minimise disruption to residents. In looking at options to fulfil these criteria Waste Division officers visited a number of other London boroughs to look at different collection methods. Based on successful models elsewhere in the Capital the option of asking residents to put glass bottles and jars into their existing bag collection was the only one that met the criteria.

PM's vow to tackle global warming hit by plans to treble flights

This extract is from a larger article in The Independent newspaper website.

Last night, Tony Blair was facing calls to re-examine the aviation strategy in the wake of the Stern report, which warned that if the industry ploughs capital now into "high-carbon" developments, emissions cuts later on will be much more expensive.

Britain's airports are planning to treble the number of flights by 2030, despite the recent Stern report's grave warnings about the environmental effects of expanding air travel in the UK.

If Britain's 71 airports carry out their plans, carbon emissions from the industry will increased by an estimated 10 million tonnes.

Michael Meacher, Labour's environment minister at the time of the White Paper, led the calls for a rethink and revealed that he had objected to the Department for Transport policy inside government.

He said: "If you build new airports on the scale envisaged in the [Aviation] White Paper, you can kiss goodbye to the Kyoto targets. Aircraft greenhouse gases are the fastest rising of any sector - in the order of 10 per cent, and possibly treble that in 20 years. It is utterly incompatible with the requirement to deal with climate change and the Stern report makes that absolutely clear."

‘Suffer under a sky of sound’

Residents in Spelthorne and Wraysbury continue to suffer under a sky of sound' as runway alternation at Heathrow remains suspended for at least another five weeks.

Stanwell North Councillor Jack Pinkerton said: "Normally the residents can recoup but now we're getting it all day long.

"All they can do is ring and complain."

The real issue is not the temporary pause on runway alternation.

He said: "If Heathrow cannot go ahead with building a sixth terminal and a third runway then it will try to permanently scrap runway alternation to increase its air traffic capacity in the future.

Source: Wimbledon Guardian, 20th October 2006

AirportWatch's Rethink Campaign

Airport Watch campaign against unsustainable aviation expansion. They are active in the fight against the White Paper on Aviation which threatens so much of the land and the villages around Longford.

You can view their website, AirportWatch's Rethink Campaign at www.rethink.airportwatch.org.

Crackdown on drinking in streets

Police have been given additional powers to clamp down on street drinking in Berkshire.

Seven areas of Slough will be affected by a new order introduced on Sunday to help officers deal with alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.

Anyone found drinking in a public place within the designated areas, who refuses to hand over alcohol or stop drinking, could be arrested.

A spokeswoman for Slough Borough Council said it welcomed the move.

Parts of Baylis, Britwell, Colnbrook, Poyle, Farnham, Manor Park, the town centre, Chalvey and Langley are affected.

Exemptions apply where land is covered by an alcohol license.

Source: BBC News website dated 4th October 2006

T5 site evacuated over WWII shell

Part of Heathrow's £4bn Terminal Five site had to be evacuated after the discovery of an unexploded anti-aircraft shell on Thursday 21st September.

Work on the project ground to a halt for a few hours, after builders dug up the shell, dating back to World War II.

Thousands of workers were moved to safety and a 200m exclusion zone was put in place while explosives experts carried out a controlled blast.

Forthcoming Works at Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport have advised the Residents' Association of works due to comence at the eastern end of the airfield. The works will commence on the night of 10/11 September and last for approximately 10 days.

As a result of these works, daytime alternation will cease whenever the airport is on westerly operations.

The anticipated impact to Longford whilst on westerly operations (when planes are landing and taking off towards the west) is that the village will experience a lesser number of flights than usual - there will be little or no over-flying of aircraft during the daytime period.

If you have any general enquiries about this, please call the community relations team at heathrow on 020 8745 5791.

Parking Permit Reminder

For those of you who have been residents of Longford from before the days of residents' parking bays, now is the time to arrange for the renewal of your parking permits. you can do this by contacting the Parking Services department at the Civic Centre by phoning 01895 250633.

New banner law to be run up the flagpole

Little did they realise it at the time, but the thousands of people who draped England flags from their homes during the World Cup were breaking the law, an anomaly the government has now pledged to address.

Under current planning regulations, it is illegal to fly any national flag without permission from the local council, unless it is hung on "a single vertical flagstaff".

As part of a shake-up of planning rules connected to advertising, the government is issuing new advice to councils allowing any national flag to be flown without permission, however it is displayed.

The change in regulations should be in place by April 2007.

Source: Guardian Unlimited website dated 25th July 2006 and the Independent Online website (South Africa) dated 25th July 2006

Peggy Bedford Park

BAA have been busy for the past few weeks creating a new recreational facility right in the centre of Longford village to be called the "Peggy Bedford Park".

The new park - complete with looped gravel pathway, timber log seating and dog waste bins - will have two access points from the Bath Road through 'kissing gates'.

The idea for the park came out of discussions between BAA and the Longford Residents' Association who requested that it be named after Peggy Bedford, a local historical figure.

The works are now close to completion and an inspection of the works is due to take place towards the end of July. If everything is then in order, then access should be made available to the pulic shortly after.

It is hoped that there may well be an official 'opening' at some point later in the summer.

Source: Longford Residents' Association and T5 Inform magazine

Aviation Minister Rejects BA's Heathrow Pollution Claims

Aviation minister Gillian Merron has pointedly refused to back the way British Airways measured air pollution at Heathrow in its recent study which the airline claimed showed 'that air quality is below the EU limits for nitrogen dioxide limits'.

In answers to parliamentary questions put down by Uxbridge MP John Randall, the minister said that BA's method was not appropriate and that both the European Commission and the UK government require a different method when assessing air pollution levels.

Source: The Villager newspaper dated 15th July 2006

Planning for the Future with Heathrow East

As many of you will know, BAA announced earlier this year that they wish to decommision Terminals 1 and 2 and to replace them with a new terminal to be known as Heathrow East.

There will be a series of public meetings where their vision will be put forward and where residents can speak to BAA face-to-face.

Tue Jul 18, 3pm - 8pm, Sipson Community Hall
Thu Jul 20, 3pm - 8pm, Bedfont Community Centre
Tue Jul 25, 3pm - 8pm, Cranford Junior School
Thu Jul 27, 3pm - 8pm, Pippins School, Colnbrook
Tue Aug 1, 3pm - 8pm, Stanwell Moor Village Hall

St Mary's Church Summer Fayre - 17th June

The annual St Mary's Church Summer Fayre takes place from 2pm until 4pm. Amongst the attractions will be a raffle, tombola, plant stall, cakes, bric-a-brac and more.

Please be there and support your Parish Church.

BAA agrees to Ferrovial takeover

Directors of airports operator BAA, the owners of Heathrow Airport, have backed a takeover by Spanish building group Ferrovial, the BBC has learned.

Following a secret "auction", BAA has agreed to a 950p a share offer, which values the firm at £10bn, BBC business editor Robert Peston said.

Ferrovial had until midnight on Monday to table a final offer for BAA, which operates seven UK airports.

BAA's decision does not mean Goldman Sachs is out of the running - it has until Friday to come back with a better offer, but any bid would also have to cover BAA's break fee, which means it would have to be at around 960p or higher, Mr Peston said.

BAA refused to comment on the report. An announcement is expected early on Tuesday.

BAA's debt will increase greatly under the ownership of either Goldman or Ferrovial.

However, both bidding groups insist that the costs of servicing this debt would not lead to them cutting hugely expensive investments being made by BAA - such as the construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

Source: BBC News website dated 5th June 2006

High-speed rail would stop Heathrow 'choking on its own congestion'

A high-speed rail line from London to the North and Europe could rule out the need for the planned Third Runway at Heathrow and stop the airport choking on its own congestion, according to a new report.

Fog on the Runway, published by Transport 2000 and written by independent consultant Jim Steer, says that plans for a Third Runway at Heathrow have overlooked the potential of High Speed Rail to meet travel demand.

By connecting the airport to a High Speed Rail network and turning the airport into a transport hub, new rail links would give the Midlands, the North, Scotland and the near Continent fast, direct and reliable journeys to the airport and do so with less environmental impact than air transport.

Lord Whitty, former Government Minister, who provided the foreword for the report, said: "The planned Third Runway at Heathrow would involve significant demolition and threatens to break statutory limits in terms of air quality and noise.

"This report suggests that using High Speed Rail could promote competitiveness while safeguarding the environment."

Source: 24dash.com website dated 5th June 2006

Association says Heathrow should `retire`

London`s Heathrow Airport is 60 years old this week and The Town and Country Planning Association says it is time for it to be 'retired.'

The authors of a report -- 'Heathrow: A Retirement Plan' -- predict an air capacity crisis in southeast London, and recommend Heathrow be replaced by a new airport constructed on an artificial island in the Thames Estuary.

Source: Monsters and Critics.com website dated 29th May 2006

Heathrow Special Needs Farm: Open Day - Tuesday 6th June

Heathrow Special Needs Farm invites local residents to the farm's Open Day on Tuesday 6th June 2006. The mayors of Hillingdon, Spelthorne and Runnymede are expected to attend together with the local press. The event starts at 10.30am. There will be stalls selling various bric a brac. Presnetation of certificates of merit will be presented to our clients, for their work during the past year, at about 1pm. Refreshments will be provided by the Sheraton Hotel.

Raffle (to be drawn at the Open Day)

The first prize in this year's raffle is 2 British Airways tickets to Boston, USA. The second priz\e is 2 BMI tickets to Dublin plus many other prizes. Tickets cost 20p (£1 for a book of 5) and are available from the farm now. If you want some sent to you, leave your name and address on the ansaphone (01753 680330).

Spelthorne Farm becomes Heathrow Special Needs Farm

After much discussion within the project, 'Spelthorne Farm Project' has changed its trading name to 'Heathrow Special Needs Farm'. The reasons for the change are:

1. The new name describes more accurately the work of the charity.
2. 'Heathrow' is universally recognised whereas 'Spelthorne' is not recognised outside of the area.
3. The word 'project' is construed by some as an unfinished project.

The name of the charity as registered with the Charity Commission remains unchanged and will always appear at the foot of all official correspondence.

The farm takes some £64,000 per year to run and suffered a loss of in the last year. While there are some generous corporate and private donors who support the work, all donations are gratefully received. Any donations can be sent to: Heathrow Special Needs Farm, Bath Road, Longford, UB7 0EF.

Heathrow night flights restrictions to stay

The government said it would not increase night flights allowed at Heathrow for the next six years, following opposition from local residents.

"In order to remove uncertainty on an element which has given rise to concerns, I have decided not to increase night-time movements limits at Heathrow during the period 2006-2012," Transport Minister Derek Twigg said in a statement.

Source: The Scotsman dated 9th May 2006

Local Election Results

In yesterday's local government election, Heathrow Ward elected the following to be our councillors for the coming four year period:

Santok Singh DHILLON (Labour)
Anita Grace SMART (Labour)
Paul John BUTTIVANT (Conservative)

Once they have had time to settle in at the Civic Centre, we will publish contact details in order that you may contact them with any issues you might have.

BA News claims that Heathrow meets EU Pollution Limits.

BA News, the staff newspaper for British Airways, has this week published an article claiming that air pollution around the Heathrow area meets the future legal limits that the European Union will impose in the year 2010.

The Longford Residents' Association feels that BA is deliberately not telling the full story. The measurements which they took are, in all likelihood, accurate, but they tell us very little what air pollution levels will be like in the future if a third runway and/or mixed-mode are introduced.

They claim that a fair bit of the pollution is generated from outside the area. That may also be true, but the EU Directive which will lay down the legal limits for 2010 makes it clear that the source of the air pollution is irrelevant. What matters is if the air pollution exceeds the limits in any one area, irrespective of where it comes from.

We suspect they have splashed this story on the front page because they know that they are under real pressure on the air pollution question.

London Borough of Hillingdon apologises to Longford residents

The London Borough of Hillingdon has today apologised to the people of Longford. They managed to collect the garden recycling and the dry recycling collections last week but failed to collect household refuse. This is not the first time that this failure has occurred.

After a tense series of emails between the Residents' Association and the officer responsible for collection of refuse, we have today received an apology from the council.

The apology says:

I have now concluded my investigation into the problems with refuse collection in the Longford Village area last week.

Based on my interviews with the refuse collection crew, supervisors and the Division's Street Care Officer, as well as the results of my own 'cold calling' on residents I have concluded that no refuse collection took place last week. As a consequence this matter will now be dealt with under the Authority's disciplinary procedures.

In the meantime on behalf of the Authority I would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the problems caused as a result of this failure of service and at the same time would like to assure you that the work of the crew in question will be monitored very closely including my own inspections as previously advised.

Yours faithfully.

Duncan Jones
WASTE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER - LB HILLINGDON

Poll: Runway switching 'must continue'

Most people living under the Heathrow flight path want runway alternation to continue, a study suggests.

The survey for the Mayor of London showed 75% said getting a period of quiet is important to residents.

Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "The vast majority of Londoners living under the Heathrow flight path value the half a day's peace and quiet they get from runway alternation and want to see this retained."

Jenny Jones, of the London Assembly Green party, said: "Ending runway alternation would make a bad situation even worse.

"The message from Londoners is loud and clear, expansion of Heathrow should be ruled out, permanently."

Source: BBC News website dated 20th March 2006

Hosepipe Ban hits Longford

A hosepipe and sprinkler ban is to be imposed by Three Valleys Water to tackle the worst water shortages the South East has seen in a century.

The firm's three million domestic customers in Essex, Beds, Bucks, Herts, North London and Middlesex will be hit by the ban, which begins on 3 April.

Source: BBC News website dated 20th March 2006

Three Valleys Water have said:

Despite a year on year increase in customer demand for water, we have managed to avoid the need for a hosepipe ban for the last 14 years in a row. However the recent dry winters means that this can no longer be avoided. Along with six other water companies in the south east, we have announced a hosepipe ban and have joined forces to work together with them and the Environment Agency to beat the drought. We hope our customers will join us too! The ban begins on 3rd April 2006 and will continue indefinitely.

Source: Three Valleys Water website

Airports fail air pollution test

Most English airports do not meet EU-recommended limits on the pollutant gas nitrogen dioxide, a study suggests.

Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Newcastle airports are the worst offenders, a report from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy found.

Source: BBC News website dated 13th March 2006

Pollutant levels threaten Heathrow expansion

High levels of nitrogen dioxide at UK airports could threaten some airports' expansion plans, figures reported by the BBC suggests.

A new study, conducted by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, showed that Heathrow and Gatwick airports are among the worst offenders, containing NO2 levels up to 75 per cent above EU recommendations.

The news could come as a serious blow to Heathrow Airport, which won't be allowed to build a third runway if its NO2 levels continue to exceed the EU benchmark.

Birmingham and Newcastle airports exceeded the target by the same amount, while nine other UK hubs were over the limit by up to 50 per cent.

Only tiny Sandown airport on the Isle of Wight was below the EU target – which will become mandatory by 2010.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's professor Grahame Pope said that the impact of airport emissions on public health were a concern, although he blamed the results as much on transport serving the airports as on aircraft.

The pollutant gas could affect suffers of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

Source: Cheapflights website

Peers clamp down on night flights

Government plans to abolish current limits on night flights have been defeated in the House of Lords.

The move may come as a blow to airlines hoping to increase off-peak services but will relieve residents in the flight-path of Heathrow and other major airports.

Tory councillor Edward Lister was among the politicians campaigning against the move.
"The government and the airlines wanted to do away with the only protection people living near airports have. Early morning flights ruin people's sleep and damage their health," he told the BBC.

Peers also voted in favour of forcing airports to fine airlines with noisy planes.

It is argued that this would end the disadvantage to those airports that already voluntarily levy charges on noisy airlines.

The government was in favour of sanctioning more night flights on the grounds that technological innovations have recently led to a 75 per cent reduction in noise levels.

Source: news.cheapflights.co.uk dated 9th March 2006

Peers battle over Heathrow noise

Opposition peers are calling for the retention of limits on the number of night flights to Heathrow, amid fears government plans may create more noise.

Heathrow is allowed 2,550 take-offs and landings to take place between 11.30pm and 6am during the six-month "winter season". This averages out at about 16 a night.

Individual jets create 75% less noise than was once the case, the government argues. If the bill passes into law, restrictions on the number of night flights to Heathrow would end in about five years' time.

Edward Lister, Tory leader of Wandsworth Council, which is under the Heathrow flight path, told the BBC News website: "The government keeps arguing that quieter plans means we can have more flights. But it only takes one plane to wake you up at four o'clock in the morning. If there's another almost straight away afterwards, you won't get back to sleep. We want to ban night flights completely, not see them increase."

Source: BBC News website dated 8th March 2006

New local history book available

New publication - "Around Heathrow: Past & Present

This book which contains some 200 photographs compares old and new scenes of an area that is now dominated by Heathrow Airport. The hamlet of Heathrow has disappeared but there are still vestiges of a village atmosphere to be found elsewhere even though this corner of the south-east has probably seen more changes in the last 60 years than anywhere else in Britain. The book starts with a comparison of old photographs around Heathrow with the present-day airport. So much has been completely obliterated that it is of necessity brief as it is almost impossible to link the past with the present. It then continues with a journey along the Bath Road from Cranford Bridge to Mad Bridge at Longford. Here too, much has been changed by the close proximity of the airport until Longford is reached where, surprisingly, much of the old village remains. The journey then continues back from Longford via Harmondsworth, Sipson and Harlington, finally ending up in Hayes.

Around Heathrow: Past & Present is written by local historian Philip Sherwood and published by Sutton Publishing, ISBN: 0750941359. It is currently available via Amazon.

Campaigner calls on councillors to unite against airport expansion menace

A leading aviation campaigner has called on councillors across West London to unite against the menace of airport expansion "before it's too late".

The call to arms from Hounslow Council's lead member for aviation issues, Councillor Ruth Cadbury, comes in the wake of a controversial campaign launched by supporters of expansion targeting councillors in the boroughs around Heathrow.

Councillor Cadbury said: "There are plans in the pipeline that will see Heathrow grow by 50% in the next ten years. Expansion on that scale will be disastrous for the residents of West London. As their local representatives, we have a duty to protect their future and ensure the needs of our communities come before the needs of the airport."

"The airport is a proven economic success, so the suggestion that it will suddenly fall into decline if it is not allowed to expand relentlessly is highly irresponsible. Future Heathrow should not be promoting scare stories about job losses and economic disaster, it should be working with local councils to ensure airport employees living near Heathrow can enjoy a good quality of life and a decent night's sleep.

Source: 24dash.com - News for the public sector and beyond

Heathrow threatened with closure!

Lax security was tightened at the UK's biggest airport yesterday forcing hundreds of passengers to miss flights.

Inspectors managed to smuggle weapons through security checks leading to Heathrow's owner BAA being ordered to "raise its game".

It led to lengthy queues at X-ray screening machines as one in three passengers was body searched instead of the usual one in six. The Department of Transport threatened BAA that it could lose its licence and Heathrow would have to close unless security was improved.

Source: Daily Mirror website dated 10th February 2006

Future of medieval Harmondsworth Barn

All are invited to a public meeting on 8th February at 8pm at St Marys Church, Harmondsworth to discuss the future of the medieval Harmondsworth Barn.

The private owners of the barn went into liquidation and then receivership in October 2004. Deloitte & Touche, the receivers, are administrators of the Great Barn and the property agent responsible for the disposal has offered it to the council to purchase at nil value. The council has so far decided to decline this offer. This has put the future of the barn in some jeopardy.

We cannot stand by and let this vitally important part of our local heritage be put at risk. Please attend and show the council and other interested parties the strength of local feeling.

567 Bath Road, Longford

567 Bath Road is currently a lovely old house set off Bath Road in the village conservation area. Since the last resident there died last year, there have been two planning applications submitted for the demolition of the house and the redevelopment of the site into multiple studio flats.

The second such application has recently been withdrawn by the developer with no reason given.

I wonder when they will be back with yet another plan to put too many people in too small a space?

Extra policing speeds up for spring

Hillingdon already has eight wards with Safer Neighbourhood teams, which are made up of a sergeant, two police constables and three police community support officers.

The remaining 14 wards in Hillingdon should have teams in place by the end of April, although they will not initially be full strength teams. The wards will have a sergeant and one police constable, as well as two police community support officers, but the Met has said that each team will be expanded to six members by April, 2007.

Full story on the Hillingdon Times website (20 Jan 2006)

Heathrow builders to strike again

Another strike by workers building a £4bn fifth terminal at Heathrow Airport is to begin on Friday.

Workers, who staged two 24-hour strikes before Christmas, want an extra £1 an hour in their bonus schemes but contractors Laing O'Rourke are offering 22p.

More details at the BBC News website

Heathrow to demolish Terminal 2

Heathrow's Terminal 2 is to be demolished under a £1.5bn plan to revamp London's main airport in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Source: BBC News website dated 10th November 2005

Garden Waste Collection - Announcement

The fortnightly collection of garden wastes will be temporarily suspended over the Xmas & New Year period.

For Red Week - your last collection will be week commencing 21st November 2005 - collections will restart week commencing 16th January 2006.

For Green Week - your last collection will be week commencing 28th November 2005 - collections will restart week commencing 23rd January 2006.

Forgotten which week you are on then check out our online search engine which will give you the collection day and week for your garden waste collections :-
www.hillingdon.gov.uk/environment/waste/collection_day.php

Hounslow Council Continues to Oppose Expansion Plans

New proposals to expand London’s main airport have been slammed for ‘putting local communities under constant stress’.

Hounslow Council has rejected new plans to expand Heathrow airport and criticised BAA.

Source: 24dash.com website dated 31 October 2005

Torchlight Parade - 30th October

A torchlight parade is being organised by the No Third Runway Action Group (NoTRAG) for Sunday 30th October. There are two meeting points, both at 4.30pm. Meet at Sipson Meadow, Harlington or, for those who cannot walk very far, at Heathrow Primary School. The procession will begin at 5pm ending with a few short speeches in Harmondsworth at 5.45pm.

The Villages Need You

To coincide with the closing of the BAA Draft Interim Master Plan consultation, NoTRAG is organising a family event. Bring your family, friends and neighbours. For a bit of fun why not dress the kids in Halloween costume?

Join us for the torchlight parade and light up the proposed runway!

It is planned to give a GLOWSTICK to every child. Adults, please bring a torch.

Email and SMS text alerts from Hillingdon Council

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For further information and to subscribe, visit the Hillingdon Website.

Airport expansion fight in Parliament

The campaign to halt expansion at Heathrow has reached Westminster, where MPs have been debating the future of air travel in the UK.

Source: Hounslow Guardian website, 20th October 2005

Mum can't sell house due to Heathrow

A resident has spoken out over her frustration at not being able to sell her home because of the blight of Heathrow. Janine Gorman, 37, saw the article in the Hillingdon Times about communities near Heathrow being destroyed because so many properties are being let rather than bought.

Mrs Gorman, of Kenwood Close, Sipson, said she is desperate to sell her house, but potential buyers are not interested when they hear about the planned expansion of Heathrow. She told the Times: "We put the house on the market in January. For the last few months, everyone that has come to see the house has had a key question. They want to know when BAA is going to put planning permission in, and exactly what is happening with Heathrow, but we don't know."

She added: "I feel bad for local residents. I know they don't want just tenants in the area, and I would love to sell my house to someone that is going to take care of it and make it their home. But who is going to buy my house?"

She added: "I agree with everything in last week's article the area is going downhill but it is because of this shadow of Heathrow hanging over us. People are not interested in buying in this area."

Janine and her partner had to finally make the decision last week to rent their house. She said: "The problem of Heathrow has impeded my lifestyle. I needed the equity to buy in Australia, now I am just going to have to rent."

She added: "I would love someone to buy my house who will fit in with the village lifestyle.

She added: "But I can't wait any longer and need to rent it out. It's a shame, I wish something more could be done."

Source: Hillingdon Times website 19th September 2005

Big buy-to-let boom ripping villages apart

Families say their community is being destroyed as the threat of a planned third runway at Heathrow hangs over their heads.

An increase in buy-to-let properties believed to be because of the uncertainty over expansion at Heathrow means families are moving out and being replaced by multiple occupancy households.
MP for Hayes and Harlington, John McDonnell told the Times about the impact that plans are having on the community.

He said: "Buy-to-let properties are having an impact across Hillingdon as a whole, but it has actually been intensified by the threat of the third runway."

He added: "Multiple occupancy is a problem with large numbers of people crammed into these properties.

"This is causing endless problems with sewers not being able to cope, as well as problems with vermin, infection, and rubbish everywhere."

In one block of flats in Harlington High Street, only around ten out of more than 30 flats are lived in by the actual leaseholders.

Residents living nearby say it has caused problems because tenants who move in don't care about the area.

They say there has been an increase in vandalism, graffitti and anti-social behaviour.
Harlington resident Ken Peggs, 72, said the area has gone downhill since the threat of the third runway.

He told the Times: "I have lived here for 34 years, and people that moved to the Heathrow villages moved here because it was in the countryside but also close to town and all the facilities. Now there is an increase in flights, the airport is getting bigger all the time, and people just don't care about the area."

BAA proposed two schemes in July for people whose homes would be affected by the third runway, but they were rubbished by pressure group HACAN Clearskies. The group said the whole community living near Heathrow could be blighted for a decade while Government decides on expansion plans.

But BAA said they could not speed up the Government's programme to determine whether the runway would go ahead or not, and were trying to provide certainty for people who were suffering the impact of living next to Heathrow.

Source: Hillingdon Times website, 8th September 2005

Union action could close Heathrow again

The Transport & General Workers' Union head, Tony Woodley, yesterday dramatically raised the stakes in the Heathrow airport dispute with British Airways and in-flight caterer Gate Gourmet.

Source: The Observer, 21st August 2005

Heathrow homes scheme criticised

Groups opposing the proposed third Heathrow runway have criticised schemes being offered to local residents to protect them from property blight.

"This is nothing more than a protection racket," Hacan chairman John Stewart said.

"BAA is saying to householders that if you play ball with us as we destroy your community, we'll see you all right."

NoTrag spokeswoman Christine Shilling said the BAA proposals were a "sneaky 'do it my way or else' paper promise".

"Many elderly won't survive the drastic upheaval to their lives and for those of us left behind, there will be trauma and depression as everything we've ever known is buried under concrete," she said.

About 700 homes could be demolished if the expansion goes ahead.

Source: BBC News website 29 July 2005

Local MP meets new aviation minister.

The campaign against expansion at Heathrow airport is hotting up as a local MP took a delegation of colleagues to meet the new aviation minister.

John McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, the constituency most affected by plans at Heathrow, led the MPs to meet new aviation minister Karen Buck MP to press for more openness in the decision- making process for the proposed third runway.

Mr McDonnell said: "We made it clear to the minister that at this stage we believe the government should rule out once and for all the possibility of a new runway and thus lift the blight from our community."

Source: Hillingdon Times website dated 15th July 2005

I'll fight Heathrow expansion, says Mayor

Ken Livingstone today vowed to use public funds to fight the expansion of Heathrow Airport. The Mayor said he opposed plans that would result in the loss of 700 homes to make way for a third runway, a sixth terminal and any increase in night flights, which he said caused "human misery".

Responding to concern from opposition parties at City Hall about Heathrow expansion, Mr Livingstone called the threat to homes in Harmondsworth and Sipson " completely unacceptable". He said: "We will campaign actively against this. I have seen these homes. During my own election campaign I was struck [that] this is a wonderful little community-Greater London Authority resources will be thrown completely into any public inquiry ag ainst their compulsory purchase."

Source: ThisIsLondon website dated 22 June 2005

Packed meeting kicks off fresh fight in runway war

Almost a thousand people packed out a school hall to hear the rally cry to fight the planned expansion of Heathrow.

Read about it by clicking the link.

Source: Hillingdon Times website dated 16th June 2005

Airport expansion unites local residents

The plan for airport expansion published by BAA last week has managed to unite public opinion in opposition to those plans.

Longford Residents' Association held a public meeting on 13th June in a packed meeting room at Spelthorne Farm. The next night, over 840 local residents crammed into Heathrow Primary School for a NoTRAG public meeting. This number shows that people are prepared to do their bit to fight this monstrous idea to expand an airport that was poorly located in the 1940s and which should grow no further.

If the Government and the aviation industry think that the people in the south of Hillingdon are going to roll over, they had better think again!

Changed rubbish collection service

As part of Hillingdon's drive to deliver continuous improvements to the range of recycling services on offer to residents the household recycling service for mixed dry recyclables will be increased to a weekly collection from Monday, 27th June 2005.

For some parts of the Borough, this means that collection days will change. For Longford, the collection day for houshold refuse and dry recyclables will be EVERY Thursday. But please remember that this will NOT include garden recycling which remains as a fortnightly collection.

Heathrow plans 'environmental madness'

Plans to destroy around 700 homes to make way for a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow Airport have been dismissed as "environmental madness".

Under BAA's interim plans, 357 hectares of land near the airport has been "safeguarded", discouraging future developers to build in case the land is needed for expansion.

Bryan Sobey, a member of the anti-expansion group NOTRAG (No Third Runway Action Group) said that by placing the area under such restraint, property was already being devalued.

Source: The Daily Mail website dated 6th June 2005

Heathrow Master Plan unveiled

The Longford Residents' Association has this morning received advance copies of the BAA draft Interim master Plan for development at Heathrow Airport. This plan is supposed to relate to the White Paper proposal that a third runway should be built at Heathrow should environmental constraints be met.

Our immediate concern with the plan is that all the options being discussed by BAA involve the extension of the airfield west to the M25 which would cut our road links to Stanwell and Staines to the south. A third runway will also cut our links to West Drayton and the rest of the Borough of Hillingdon to the north.

We have already challenged BAA as to why a western extension is required south of Longford in a plan which is supposed to be about a third runway. We await an answer. We will also be reviewing the entire plan in conjunction with our neighbouring villages to formulate a whole community response.

Cheap flights spark runway chaos

Plans to expand enormously Heathrow and Gatwick airports will receive a major blow this week with the publication of a report which will describe them as 'unnecessary' and a serious threat to the environment.

'Our view is that it is environmentally unsustainable, inconsistent with international policy and they have got to change it if the Prime Minister is serious about climate change,' said Mike Gwilliam, director of transport and planning for Seera, the South East England Regional Assembly.

Source: The Observer website dated 5th June 2005

New Heathrow runway will flaten up to 700 properties

Plans for a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow airport, which will require the demolition of up to 700 properties, are to be unveiled tomorrow.

A minimum of 260 properties — and possibly as many as 700 — will be flattened, including at least one primary school.

“These plans re-emphasise the fact of how much misery expansion at Heathrow will cause,” said John Stewart, chairman of Hacan, a pressure group representing residents under the airport’s flight path.

“It will mean more planes, more noise and air pollution and thousands of people could lose their homes.”

Source: Sunday Times website dated 5th June 2005

Aircraft noise 'affects learning'

A team from Barts and the London NHS Trust looked at data on more than 2,800 children living near Heathrow and other airports in Spain and the Netherlands. The Lancet study found each five decibel increase in noise level was linked to children being up to two months behind in their reading age. A US expert said the study supported previous research findings.

The children, all aged nine or 10, attended schools near to London's Heathrow Airport, Schiphol in the Netherlands and Barajas in Spain.

Writing in the Lancet, Dr Peter Rabinowitz of Yale University School of Medicine, said this latest research backed up previous analyses. He highlighted one study which looked at children living near to the old Munich airport in Germany, before and after it was closed down.

"Children attending schools near the airport improved their reading scores and cognitive memory performance as the airport shut down, while children going to school near the new airport experienced a decline in testing scores."

The London Borough of Hounslow said that, in light of the research, it had launched an investigation into the impact of aircraft noise on local schools.

Source: BBC Health website 03 June 2005

Notes from meeting with BAA - 2nd June

- Longford Flood Alleviation Scheme almost complete. Should be mostly done by end of summer.

- Evidence of a Bronze Age settlement found in the northernmost field just south of the A4.

- BAA wish to extend car park south of Longford. All vehicle access to be from Perimeter Rd.

- BAA propose to open up green space south of Bath Road to public access with paths and benches.

- BAA are seeking ways to include Longford in their Heathrow Connectivity transport plan to connect Longford to the terminals and onwards into the tube and Heathrow Express systems.

- BAA propose to work with LBH to make minor changes to road signage and layout to reduce traffic using village as a rat run.

- BAA will in future fund a meeting room once each month at the Thistle Hotel for the Residents' Association for committee and public meetings.

QPR take over Chelsea training ground

Queens Park Rangers have reached an agreement to move to Chelsea's old training ground at Harlington.

QPR chief executive Mark Devlin said: "This is an outstanding sporting facility and we are thrilled to be on the verge of moving the club's training set-up to Harlington."

Source: ThisIsLondon website dated 24th May 2005

Clash over Heathrow future

A campaign group to lobby for the continued development of the UK's biggest airport has been launched under the leadership of new Labour peer Lord Soley.

Called Future Heathrow, the group will highlight the economic importance of the west London airport.

But the group is being opposed by Heathrow anti-noise group Hacan ClearSkies which argues that many Heathrow users contribute very little to the UK economy.

Lord Soley, who as Clive Soley was the former Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush Labour MP, said: "Heathrow is critically important to the economic prosperity of West London and the Thames Valley and is a uniquely valuable asset to London and the UK."

Hacan said that, of the 22 million additional passengers who used Heathrow in 2004 compared with 1992, 19 million were transfer or transit passengers just passing through the airport, thus contributing very little to the UK economy."

Source: icThewharf website dated 23 May 2005

BAA information evening for Longford residents

BAA are hosting an information evening on Thursday 2nd June 2005 in the Print Room at the Thistle Hotel, Longford at 6.30pm.

There will be 2 subjects. Firstly, an update on the Longford Flood Alleviation Scheme which will cover where they are with construction, what you may see in coming months as well as the chance to ask questions you may have about the scheme. Secondly, BAA would like to present an outline of their proposals for an extension to the N3 car park and the enhancement of an area of existing parkland in the village.

Longford bus stop attack may hold key to Twickenham killing

Officers investigating the murder of Amlie Delegrange and other assaults on women in south west London are appealing for information about another attack in Longford.

On December 16, 2003 at around 7.45pm a 33-year-old white woman hairdresser was waiting at a bus stop near The White Horse Pub, Old Bath Road, Longford.

The area was fairly quiet and dark and she only recalls one other person waiting near to the bus stop.

It was a cold winter night, and the woman was wearing black trousers and a hooded jacket with fur, the hood of which she had up.

As she made a call to her husband on her mobile phone she was attacked from behind receiving a large lump and wound to her head.

Her next recollection of events is waking up in hospital the following morning.

Her husband recalls her screaming down the phone at the time of the assault.

Nothing was stolen and it was a totally unprovoked and motiveless attack.

Police believe a black VW Golf with two or three passengers was at the scene with one of the men being responsible for the attack.

Another woman waiting at the bus stop with the victim may well have crucial information regarding the attack and has been described by witnesses as a white, tall female aged 20 to 30 with short dark layered hair who was either carrying a ruck-sack or duffle coat.

The victim was off work for more than a month because of the attack and still suffers headaches as a result of her injuries.

She is still traumatized and frightened by events.

Police are keen to speak to any witnesses particularly the woman at the bus stop.

Police believe there may be a connection between the attack and the murder of French student Miss Delegrange who was found beaten to death on Twickenham Green, south west London, on August 19 last year.

Police have received more than 100 calls from the public about the death of the 22-year-old.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Incident Room at Putney on 0208 785 8244 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111

Source: Hillingdon Times website, 20 May 2005

We have seen the enemy and his name is Soley!

The campaign director of the pro-Heathrow Expansion lobby group (Future Heathrow) is now known to be Clive Soley, the one time MP for Ealing. He announces this on his own blog here.

Which reminds me, Future Heathrow is due to be launched on 23rd May. NoTRAG (the No Third Runway Action Group) plan to hold a demonstration at this event. See more on their website here.

Ground Safety Fears at Heathrow

Heathrow is bursting at the seams and in urgent need of a safety review. That’s the verdict of a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), following a surge in collisions between planes and buildings as the world’s busiest passenger airport struggles to cope with the 470,000 aircraft and 63m passengers currently passing through each year.

BAA hopes the completion of Terminal 5 will ease congestion. “Good luck to them,” says David Learmount (of Flight International magazine). “By then, the new A380s will be in service, and Virgin, Emirates and Singapore Airlines will be bringing them in. Their wings are 10 yards wider than your average jumbo — if they can’t park the planes now, just wait till BA starts ordering A380s.”

CBI, unions and airlines join to fight for Heathrow expansion

Some of the world's largest airlines are forming a powerful coalition to fight for the controversial development of a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow airport.

Known as Future Heathrow, the group will have its own campaign offices, dedicated staff and a budget expected to run into the millions.

For further reading, follow the source link below.

Source: The Independent Online, 24 April 2005

Ellen visits Yeading

Yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur will be visiting B&Q in Yeading on Friday, April 22. Ellen will meet customers and staff as well as sign autographs.

She will also talk about her experiences onboard her record-breaking B&Q trimaran.

She will be at the B&Q in Glencoe Road between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Summer Nights

This updates information in an entry dated 23rd March.

A letter has been received from Ben Morton, the Director of Public Affairs at BAA Heathrow. In it, BAA modify what the Local Focus Forum members were told at the March meeting.

Now, apparently, the southern runway will close at 10pm until 6am from Sundays through Thursdays from early April until the end of October.

So for two years in a row, the residents to the north of the airfield have had the annoyance of ALL air traffic operating from the north runway at night. If the heat doesn't keep you awake, then the noise surely will.

BAA does not care a jot for the residents and the sooner we are all gone, the happier they will be.

West Drayton Centre aims to beat the boredom

A feast of activities are in store for youngsters with time on their hands.

Kids got a taste of what is to come at new youth centres acround the borough thanks to a re-vamp of youth services.

Youngsters turned out at the re-launch of the West Drayton Young Persons Centre (YPC) in Harmondsworth Road on Tuesday, and started to get the hang of a new climbing wall.

Cllr Solveig Stone, cabinet member for education, youth and leisure, joined the young people for the relaunch events at West Drayton, where the opening was marked with a balloon release.

Cllr Solveig Stone said: “I see the relaunch as the first step in a major new drive to promote youth activities throughout the borough to 11 to 19 year olds."

Source: Hillingdon Times website, 12th April 2005

Can you help to rebuild the new swan sanctuary?

The UK's only completely self-contained swan sanctuary has packed up its bags and moved home after 15 years in Egham.

The Swan Sanctuary, founded in the early 1980s by Dot Beeson, looks after around 4,000 swans each year, from bankside treatment to hospitalisation, often involving major surgery.

Finally, a perfect site was found in Shepperton, for which planning permission has been given.
The site at Felix Lane, off Fordbridge Road, comprises four acres of land and a four-acre lake, which connects directly to the Thames.

Help is also required for general conservation work which has begun with the management of the woodland, the making of habitats and footpaths, leading to the planting of native trees and plants, and all to create a more diverse natural habitat for wildlife.

There is much to be done before the sanctuary is operational, hopefully in April or May, and further adult volunteers, armed with cutting tools (loppers, tree saws and so on), gloves and sturdy footwear are encouraged to come along to help with this project.

Work days are scheduled for April 10 and 24; May 8 and 22; and June 12, 19 and 26. All word days start at 10am and finish by 1pm.

If you can help please contact Peter Routley on 01932 232344.

Source: Staines Guardian, 1st April 2005

Night flight noise through summer 2005

At a meeting of the Local Focus Forum at Heathrow Visitors' Centre last night, BAA announced some important news re night flights for this summer.

Due to work to construct a new taxiway near the southern runway to accommodate the Airbus A380 aircraft, the southern runway will close every night between 10pm and 6am from April through to October. This means that ALL take-offs and landings between those times will be on the northern runway closest to Longford.

This is the second year in a row that night flights have all been switched to the northern runway. The second year in a row that Longford residents will have disturbed sleep without respite for weeks and months on end.

Personal Safety (There's a robber about!)

A Longford resident was walking home at about 6.50pm on Bath Road in Longford when a car pulled up and the driver jumped out. He had his jacket zipped up to conceal his face and held a 10 inch screwdriver in his hand. He demanded that the resident give him the computer bag he was carrying several times. Our resident told him that he didn't have an effing computer in the bag whereupon he turned round and jumped into the car and drove away.

The car involved has a registration plate of K364 ABU.

If anyone sees this car hanging around around the five villages, call the Police as the vehicle is involved in theft in the villages and surrounding areas.

Hillingdon Community Trust Newsletter #2

The second newsletter of the Hillingdon Community Trust is now available. It contains information about eligibility for grants as well as news of some of the grants already made.

For further information about the Trust, visit their website.

BAA fights £10bn Crossrail Bill over Heathrow Express threat

BAA, the owner of Heathrow, is preparing to challenge key sections of the Bill to establish Crossrail, the £10bn rail project linking east and west London.

The airport operator is incensed by a little-noticed clause in the Bill giving Mr Darling power to seize control of Heathrow Express, BAA's £750m rail link to Paddington.

Source: The Independent Online, 20th March 2005

Station safety boost for rail passengers

Commuters are to benefit from improved station security after an investment of almost £400,000.

Rail passengers travelling through West Drayton will be getting a new anti-vandal shelter as part of the joint investment announced last week by Transport for London and First Great Western Link.

Source: Hillingdon Times website - 14 March 2005

Longford Flood Alleviation Scheme

Work has started on the Longford Flood Alleviation Scheme. All access to the site is via the grounds of Spelthorne Farm. As agreed with residents, works will take place between the hours of 0800hrs - 1800hrs, Monday to Friday, and will continue until late Autumn 2005. however, as the work is dependant upon good weather conditions, weekend working may be granted if necessary.

Be Alert - Thieves About!

It was mentioned at a meeting this week that two men were seen walking around Longford on Sunday 6th March, wandering into gardens and climbing over walls into secluded areas of the village. They are believed to have tried to force entry into one of the houses on The Island. It is even thought that they might have entered one of the houses in the village before being scared off. Many people had seen these men acting suspiciously yet no one called the Police.

While calling the Police can be a frustrating experience at times, they still like laying their hands on possible burglars while they are in the act. Remember, if you see someone so obviously "at it", call 999 as this is a crime in progress.

Council Tax Hike

Council tax is set to rise in Hillingdon by 4.23 per cent. The figure was agreed at a cabinet meeting this Tuesday, February 22.

The rise means an increase of £51.33 for people living in a Band D house in Hillingdon, bringing their council tax total for a year to £1,266.93.

Source: Hillingdon Times website - 26th February 2005

Drivers face paying congestion charge at Heathrow

Drivers arriving at Heathrow by car face paying a congestion charge under proposals being considered by the government to tackle traffic pollution at Britain’s biggest airport.

Without this shift in travel patterns, the government fears that it will be unable to meet a stringent European Union emissions cap that comes into effect in 2010 and has the potential to delay plans to build a third runway at Heathrow.

Proposals for the congestion charge are outlined in documents released by the Department for Transport last week under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents relate to the meetings of a stakeholder group examining access to the west London airport.

Source: Sunday Times website, 20th February 2005

Runway ruling to delay aviation expansion

The government's plans to turn Stansted airport into one of Europe's biggest international hubs face a potentially lengthy delay following a high court judgment that ministers acted illegally in prescribing the location of a new runway.

Stansted is central to the government's policy of expanding airports to cater for the appetite for cheap flights. Mr Darling announced in December 2003 that the airport's capacity was to go from 25 million passengers annually to a maximum 82 million by 2030.

The judgment is likely to mean that a new runway will undergo scrutiny at a planning inquiry, of a length and at a level of detail Mr Darling was keen to avoid. It will hearten campaigners at other airports including Heathrow, Birmingham and Edinburgh.

One of Mr Darling's officials, Mike Fawcett, was criticised for his reluctance to reveal grave doubts at the Treasury.

Mr Justice Sullivan said government officials "should remember that their obligation to tell the truth to the court does not mean that the court need only be told so much of the truth as suits the department's case, and that inconvenient parts of the truth may be omitted from their evidence".

Source: The Guardian website - 19th February 2005

Airport group raises £575m with property joint venture

BAA has entered a joint venture with the Aviva Group (they also own Norwich Union). As part of this, they have sold part of its property portfolio to them and raised over half a billion pounds to spend on acquisitions.

See the Daily Telegraph website, 15th February 2005

Fear of super noise from super jumbos

When super-jumbo aeroplanes take to the skies it could mean "super-jumbo noise".

Airbus, which is 80 per cent UK-owned, unveiled its super-jumbo last month in a glamorous ceremony. It will be the world's biggest passenger aircraft, due to start flying in 2006.

Richmond council leader Cllr Tony Arbour said: "It may be a good thing, but we are very concerned about the amount of noise. It may make super-jumbo noise, rather than jumbo noise."

Actual noise levels are not know about the Airbus A380 because it has not yet flown.

Last year, Richmond upon Thames Council headed a coalition of local authorities, including Wandsworth, Hillingdon and Windsor and Maidenhead, which won a legal challenge against the government in the high court.

The government conceded in December, saying it would consider actual noise levels caused by pre-6am flights, rather than just the manufacturer's noise level figures. Kensington and Chelsea Council have just joined the coalition as the flight paths affect them too.

Source: Richmond & Twickenham Times website - 4th February 2005

Jumble Sale - Saturday 12th February

St Mary the Virgin Church, Harmondsworth, is holding a jumble sale in the Church Hall, High Street, Harmondsworth at 2pm on Saturday 12th February.

Part of the proceeds to go to the tsunami disaster fund.

Entrance - 30p.

Date for your diary - 25th February

St Mary the Virgin Church Harmondsworth present a February Revue with cheese & wine.

The church will be holding a fund-raising (& fun) evening on Friday 25 February at 7.30 pm.

An evening of songs and original sketches, performed by the Scots Society of St. Andrew (Slough & District), but please note this is not a Scottish show.

This event will take place in the Church Hall, High St. Harmondsworth. Tickets £5 from Hazel Seddon Tel. 020 8897 8803

Information on the new pub licensing laws

The London Borough of Hillingdon has published information for both licensees and local residents concerning the new licensing laws due to come into effect later this year.

This information is on their website under Licenses and Street Trading.

Builders lose judicial review of Gatwick plan.

Persimmon Plc, Britain's biggest homebuilder by market value, and a unit of George Wimpey Plc lost a bid to force a judicial review of U.K. government plans to reserve land for a new runway at London's Gatwick Airport.

Persimmon and Laing Homes Ltd., which plan to develop a new neighborhood near the airport, failed to show that the government had acted ``unfairly or unreasonably'' in refusing to convene an inquiry on the policy, Justice Jeremy Sullivan ruled today at the High Court in London.

Bloomberg.com - 21st January

Mobile Phone Safety Boost

Mobile phone owners will now be able to log their phone's details on a national database launched by the police.

Detective Superintendent Chris Foster, of Ealing Police, believes the new website will help officers assist the hundreds of victims of mobile phone robberies recover their phones.

Registration only takes a couple of minutes and it is completely free. To register all you need is the mobile phone's 15-digit IMEI number which is the phone's unique serial number.

The IMEI number normally appears on a label underneath the battery in the mobile phone and on most phones it can also be viewed on screen by pressing *#06#.

To register your phone on the free website visit www.immobilise.com

Longford Flood Alleviation Scheme

BAA are to host a meeting concerning the construction programme for the Longford Flood Alleviation Scheme which is being built in partnership with the Environment Agency.

The Meeting will be held in the Print Room at the Thistle Hotel, Longford on 19th January starting at 6.15pm.

BAA have been in consultation with the village residents for about a yeart and the scheme agreed by all parties is now ready to be constructed. BAA are keen for villagers to attend as it provides an opportunity to understand the construction programme, meet the team and to raise any final questions before construction begins.

BAA's Community Liaison Team can be contacted on 020 8745 5555.

BAA the target of legal action over expansion blight

Formal documents have now been lodged with the High Court setting out
the case for Judicial Review of BAA's proposed compensation arrangements
for local homeowners suffering generalised blight as a result of plans
to expand Stansted Airport.

This latest application for Judicial Review, this time against BAA
rather than the Government, has been made by Takeley Parish Council and
local homeowners who are excluded from BAA Stansted's 'Home Owner
Support Scheme' (HOSS), set to be introduced on 4 January 2005. The
HOSS purports to implement the Government's requirement for a scheme to
minimise the effects of generalised blight from the proposed new runway,
outlined in the recent Air Transport White Paper. However, it is so
narrowly drawn that it covers just 500 out of the estimated 12,000 homes
affected by airport related blight, leaving the vast majority of local
residents 'out in the cold'.

BAA is accused of seeking to minimise compensation payments by refusing
to entertain claims from home-owners whose properties lie outside a very
tightly defined 66 dBA Leq (decibel) noise contour, despite clear
evidence of property blight over a much wider area.

Takeley Parish Council believes that it can easily demonstrate to the
High Court that many homes in the vicinity of the airport which are not
covered by the scheme are already severely blighted by the prospect of
having the world's largest airport on their doorstep. The Parish
Council has been provided with numerous case studies of local
homeowners, within Takeley Parish and beyond, who are currently unable
to sell their properties and who are now trapped into staying by the
major financial loss or even negative equity they would incur as a
result of selling at enormously reduced values. In many of these cases
there are pressing family or work-related reasons which lie behind the
family's reason for wishing to move home.

While Takeley Parish Council is taking the lead on the High Court
challenge, other neighbouring parish councils whose residents are
similarly being ignored by BAA's proposed compensation arrangements
have voiced their support for the Takeley action and are expected to
promise financial support early in the New Year.

Takeley's legal challenge follows requests to the Government in November
to fulfil its duties under the European Convention on Human Rights and
ensure that those who actually suffer blight are properly protected by
an underwriting scheme. Such a scheme could be operated by the
Government or by the airport developer on a statutory basis.

Longford Residents' Association applauds the actions of Takeley Parish Council and would support any similar action being taken in respect of blight as a result of the threatened expansion at Heathrow Airport.

Notification of T5 Works affecting Longford

BAA have notified the Residents' Association that works will be undertaken to strengthen the existing 3 metre fence that lies between Longford village and the Western Perimeter Road. These works are to enable the fence to withstand strong winds. The work will involve producing and fixing concrete supports to the fence. Vehicles marked 'Scion' will access the site from the Western Perimeter Road.

Work commences on 7th January, should take less than one week, and the hours of work are 8am to 4.30pm.

Staines car parks increase their charges

Many people in Longford shop in Staines due to it being easier to get to than Uxbridge or Hounslow. Therefore, we should be aware that car parking charges have been increased in the Borough of Spelthorne.

The new charges are:

up to one hour - 70p
1 to 2 hours - £1.20
2 to 3 hours - £1.70
3 to 4 hours - £2.50
4 to 5 hours - £5.00
over 5 hours - £10.00

Runway checks at night during January 2005

There will be some night time flight activity involving a small propeller aircraft over Heathrow between 10th - 13th January 2005. These flights are part of compulsory checking of the instrument landing system (ILS) and take place several times a year.

The checks involve the plane flying over each runway several times for around one hour using minimum engine power for most of the time.

16th December and Heathrow

On 16th December 1955, the Queen opened terminal buildings in the centre of Heathrow Airport.

On 16th December 1977, the Queen opened the extended tube link to Heathrow Airport.

For links to news items on both these events, visit the Heathrow section of the Longford website.

Legal Row on 'Real Noise' Aircraft Data Settled

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has settled a legal dispute in which he was accused of relying on inaccurate aircraft noise statistics in his consultation paper on future night flying restrictions at Heathrow.

The QC for the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond, David Anderson, told Mr Justice Forbes today that the actual operational noise of the Rolls Royce-powered Boeing 747-400, which accounted for most of the night flights at the airport, was up to 75% higher than the level certified under the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Seeking a judicial review of Stage 1 of the consultation paper, relating to noise levels, Mr Anderson said: “It is nothing short of absurd to interpret Community law as requiring the protection of individuals from environmental nuisance to be determined on the basis of figures that are admittedly, and by a wide margin, false.

“Such a fiction would be convenient to the powerful interests of BAA and the airlines because it would require the Secretary of State to pretend that the noise experienced by local residents is significantly less extensive than he knows it to be.”

The dispute was settled, at the judge’s urging, after more than two hours of out-of-court negotiations.

In a statement to the judge, the two sides agreed that Mr Darling was entitled to have regard to other operational noise measurements in addition to the standard certification data.

Wandsworth Council spokesman Steve Mayner welcomed Mr Darling’s acceptance that he could consider “real noise” data.

Source: The Scotsman, 14th December 2004

Challenge to Night-Flight rule change

Proposed changes to night-flight rules which opponents fear could lead to a trebling in the number of aircraft arriving at Heathrow before 6am will be challenged today in the High Court.

The legal action has been launched by the London boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond.

The local councils say the Government has wrongly claimed that it is prevented by the EU from amending current noise classifications for aircraft – even though it has admitted that the engine noise data on which its night noise scheme is based is faulty.

Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister said: “We don’t think any of these 16 flights are necessary."

A key council argument today will be that the Government’s consultation was misleading and therefore unlawful.

Source: The Scotsman, 14th December 2004

BAA support ahead of court battle

UK airport operator BAA has reiterated its support for the government's aviation expansion plans to airports throughout the country.

The comments come a day ahead of a High Court challenge by residents' groups and local councils to the government's White Paper.

The judicial review will centre on government plans for expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports.

BAA, which operates all three, said it was consulting with local communities.
"We are...consulting on voluntary compensation schemes which go beyond our statutory obligations," a BAA spokesman said.

Source: BBC News, 12th December 2004

Court Challenge to 'Flawed' Airport Expansion Plans

Residents’ groups and local councils will tomorrow mount a High Court challenge to the Government’s aviation White Paper.The judicial review, to be heard before Mr Justice Sullivan, will centre on the Government’s plans for expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports.Those challenging the plans include the Stop Stansted Expansion group, Heathrow anti-noise campaigners HACAN Clearskies and the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Wandsworth.

The High Court challenge will highlight what anti-expansion groups see as key “flaws” in the White Paper. These include:

The absence of a commercial justification for a second Stansted runway, contrary to the Government’s own requirements for the consultation;

The failure to make clear in the consultation that the ending of the practice of using runways in alternation at Heathrow – a method of ensuring some respite from overflying for people living in west London – could be a short-term alternative to a third runway;

The failure to consult on the extended runway proposals put forward for Luton (the consultation examined two completely different options for expanding the airport);

The failure to provide information to the public about alternative development proposals for airports which had been submitted or to give proper consideration to these options and the failure to inform or consult the public about other fundamental shifts in the Government’s position which took place during the course of the consultation.

Mr Justice Sullivan is expected to give a judgment early in February.

Source: The Scotsman, 12th December 2004

Airports plan faces deluge of angry litigants

Ministers face a wave of litigation against their White Paper on aviation which may mean that plans for airport expansion costing billions of pounds will have to be scrapped.

A BAA memorandum sets out the full range of court action being faced by the Government in a judicial review beginning on Monday and warns that if litigants win many of their points, the White Paper would have to be withdrawn, new proposals published and a fresh round of consultations would have to begin. The company stands to lose hundreds of millions of pounds in potential revenue if the Department for Transport is made to rethink its views.

In next week's case the Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling is being accused of acting "unlawfully or irrationally or unfairly".

Source: The Independent, 10th December 2004

St Mary's Church, Harmondsworth warmly invite you to visit ...

St Mary's Church, Harmondsworth warmly invite you to visit over the Christmas period.

Come along and see our nativity scene, all the way from the Island of Madeira.

Services:

Every Sunday 9 - 11am Church Open 10.30 - 1pm

Opening Times: Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings from 10 - 12.

Christmas Services:

Thursday 16th Dec - Heathrow School, 7pm
Friday 17th Dec - Harmondsworth School Carol Service, 9.30am
Sunday 19th Dec - Candlelit Carol Service & Cristingle, 6pm
Friday 24th Dec - B.A. Christian Fellowship, 12.45pm
Christmas Day - Parish Communion, 11am
Sunday 26th Dec - Holy Communion, 9am
Sunday 26th Dec - Parish Communion, 11am

New Weblog for the Five Heathrow Villages

A new weblog has been created as a means of keeping the residents of the five Heathrow villages in the south of the Borough of Hillingdon in touch with what's on and what is happening in and around their community.

You can view the weblog at http://heathrowvillages.blogspot.com/

A new way of delivering news to the Longford website.

Following an introduction to weblogs at a web owners forum today hosted by HAVS, this is the first step in moving towards a Blog news service form the Longford website.

Waste fight takes off.

Fifty black balloons with the slogan "Health warning in Hillingdon" were released from Uxbridge Town centre by members of the West London Stop The Incinerator (WLSTI) campaign in an experiment to see how far they would travel. Dave Ashworth, of WLSTI, said: "The main message we are sending is not only does it carry our message about stopping the incinerator but it also brings home how far pollution travels."

Source: Hillingdon Times

Witness Appeal.

Police are appealing for witnesses concerning a serious assault which occurred nearly a year ago. On 16th December 2003, at the bus stop near to the White Horse pub, a 33-year-old white woman was seriously assaulted. A number of people came to the woman's aid. Did you see the incident? Were you one of these people? Can you help the Police in any way? If you can help, contact either DC Maslin or DC Murray on 020 8247 7911. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Mayor orders Waste Authority to develop strategy.

The Mayor of London has ordered the West London Waste Authority to produce a waste strategy taking account of the environmental impact and public views on its services. Mayor Ken Livingstone has said he will not allow further waste tenders to go ahead until he is "convinced that the services are in the interests of London and its neighbours". Mr Livingstone said: "After much consideration I have decided to issue a direction to West London Waste Authority in order to satisfy myself that they are considering the environment when they arrange their waste management contracts. The direction was issued under section 356 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Waste authorities, which represent the waste disposal interests of their member boroughs, were to have submitted joint municipal waste strategies to the Mayor's office by September 2004. The West London Waste Authority has failed to submit its strategy in time for this deadline.
Source: letsrecycle.com

Heathrow Villages Community Conference 2004

Around 120 people gave up their Saturday morning to attend the Heathrow Villages Community Conference, organised by John McDonnell MP, to discuss community issues important to the area.

The photo shows David Brough, from the London Borough of Hillingdon, John McDonnell MP, and Chief Superintendent Mark Toland, the Borough Commander of Hillingdon Police.

Salvation Army Christmas treat.

Salvation Army Christmas treat. The Salvation Army are providing a free lunch to anyone on their own at Christmas - booked in advance, and are looking for the names and addresses of people who might warrant an Xmas parcel. If you know of anyone living within the five Heathrow villages who could benefit - neighbours, friends, etc - please contact Jenie Betteridge of HAVS by clicking here.

Don't waste your waste!

The Slough Anti-Incinerator Network (SAIN) invite you to participate in a Community Waste Workshop at 8.00pm, 24th November, Slough Friends' House, Ragstone Rd. The subject is collective community planning to find solutions for our waste. Since the start of the campaign against incineration, we have learnt a great deal, not just about incineration, but about the whole question of waste policy. SAIN believe that it is not enough to just oppose Grundon's incinerators but we must also support and push forward attempts at more healthy, sustainable waste management practices. It is understood that policy is frequently based on private profit interests, emanating from the 'close relationship' between business and the authorities (locally, nationally and globally). Due to this, those most affected by these policies often have no say in their formulation, and for democracy to mean anything, this must change.

No need to book places - just turn up but if you have any questions please feel free to contact SAIN at mail4.sain@virgin.net and hope to see you there.

T5 goes on display at Heathrow centre.

A replica of Terminal 5 has been unveiled at Heathrow Airport's Visitor Centre. The model, which forms the centrepiece of a new T5 exhibition shows how the terminal will eventually look when it opens to passengers in 2008. Anyone who wants to get an idea of the actual size of Terminal 5 can go on a weekly bus tour, available to take members of the local community around the site. It is possible to book a place on a site tour, which begin every Friday from the Heathrow Visitor Centre, by calling 020 8745 6655 between 3pm and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Source: Hillingdon Times

Action urged on aviation pollution.

The aviation industry could have an "immense" negative impact on the environment, peers have warned. A report published by the Lords EU sub-committee on environmental issues on Wednesday slammed ministers for continuing to support the expansion of Britain's airports while also pledging to reduce pollution levels.

Source: ePolitix.com