After a short lull, the grim prospect of expansion and a third runway at Heathrow is back on the agenda.
Thomas Woldbye, the airport’s CEO, has called for what he terms ‘a clear steer’ from the government on whether it will support the expansion plans, and has even set a deadline – he wants an answer by the end of 2025. He made the comments in an interview with the BBC.
The proposed expansion of the airport poses a direct threat to the Colne Valley Regional Park, which has already borne the brunt of a variety of infrastructure projects – such as HS2 – that have fundamentally and permanently altered this precious landscape.
It is impossible to overstate the colossal environmental impact that these plans will have on our region and we remain completely opposed to them. The spectre of a third runway has hung over the area for decades, blighting the airport villages and encouraging planning by dereliction in the areas around the airport.
It is a commercial concern owned for the most part by foreign investors who naturally demand a return on that investment. Mr Woldbye requires his ‘clear steer’ in order to dampen their impatience which has been steadily mounting as arguments rage about Heathrow’s undoubted environmental impact.
At first glance, it would almost seem a reasonable request. But in our view, Mr Woldbye is really asking the government to leapfrog and pre-judge vital environmental and planning considerations solely on the promise of growth.
There is widespread concern that these overseas investors are likely to have little or no interest in the direct impact the airport’s expansion will have on the communities and environment in London and the south east where millions of people live. They stand to lose roughly a third of the southern end of the Colne Valley Regional Park, including Harmondsworth Moor and several beautiful rivers.
As things stand, the proposals still fail Labour’s carbon emissions tests, and we believe they are stale – 20th century aspirations that no longer apply in the 21st and which represent an environmental and societal price that simply isn’t worth paying.
Heathrow from the air.
