Council slams BAA for lack of public consultation

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Suspension of runway alternation means continuous noise disturbance for 10 weeks

Hounslow Council officials have slammed BAA for subjecting local residents to ongoing noise disturbance for a period thought to be up to 10 weeks, beginning 9th of September.

Despite assurances that authorities would be officially notified by BAA of temporary suspension of runway alternation at Heathrow, Hounslow’s lead member for aviation, Cllr Barbara Reid, said that “no information has been given to the public”.

Although the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC) was told about the suspension of alternation earlier this spring, the council (as of 29th August) was not formally notified.

The purpose of this disruption is construction work on the northern runway in order to re-orientate the taxiways.

Residents in West London will be severely affected between the hours of 7:00am to 11:00pm in early September bearing the brunt of the increased noise throughout the day.

Cllr Reid added “We are very concerned about the impact this extended disruption will have on people, especially in many parts of Hounslow. While we accept that it is necessary to carry out this work, we do want an assurance that everything possible is being done to complete this work as soon as possible.”

The London Borough of Hounslow is encouraging people affected by this work to ring the BAA noise complaints hotline on 0800 344 844 or contact the council directly on 020 8583 5230.

It was reported by The Sunday Times that BAA, who were bought by a Spanish consortium earlier this year, are "likely" to defy the government and build a new runway at Heathrow. The report contained quotes from British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh whose organisation has called for the Office of Fair Trading, which is examining the ownership of airports, to refer BAA to the Competition Commission for a full investigation.

September 5, 2006