Mary Macleod MP Updates Us on Heathrow

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Third runway "far from a 'done deal"

Brentford and Isleworth MP Mary Macleod gave several updates on Heathrow in her recent newsletter:

John Holland-Kaye took over as CEO of Heathrow on 1st July to find a letter waiting for him on his desk from me asking him to urgently address Heathrow’s appalling record on insulating and ventilating our local schools. To his credit, he has now promised to do just that and I will be monitoring the progress carefully!
 
The Government also announced this month that there will be no increase in the number of night flights at Heathrow before 2017. I remain committed to fighting for a night flight ban at Heathrow but I am pleased that the Government has listened to our concerns and resisted the call from the Airports Commission to double the number of night flights.
 
Another interesting development this month was the launch of low-cost transatlantic flights from Gatwick. Increasing fuel efficiency and the range of planes like the Dreamliner have opened up new opportunities for long-haul flights from airports other than Heathrow. This may mean that the ‘hub airport’ model much publicised by Heathrow may have less significance in the aviation market in the future.
 
Lastly, you may be aware that Heathrow has recently launched a public consultation on how its proposed fund of money should be spent to compensate local residents if a third runway is granted. I am glad to see Heathrow actively engaging with the community – however, a third runway is far from a ‘done deal’ and a more pertinent question at this point might be just how much money would it take to adequately compensate the hundreds of thousands that would be adversely affected by the noise of a third runway – a figure likely to dwarf the sums of money currently being proposed. 

August 12, 2014