Sipson residents face up to Heathrow plans

The BBC reports that some Sipson residents, affected by an expanded Heathrow, might consider direct action.

There is talk of residents, who have fought airport expansion for years, joining forces with direct action groups for Swampy-style protests to fight plans for a third runway at Heathrow.

"I've got nothing to lose. I have tried the political process," says Christine Shilling, of the No Third Runway Action Group (NoTRAG).

...

Labour peer Lord Soley, of Future Heathrow, which campaigns for the airport's development, fears if the airport does not expand it will lose out to its European counterparts, having already been overtaken by Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris.

"The threat to Heathrow is real, not imagined," he says.

If it is not a hub airport this would have serious long-term consequences for Britain and particularly the Heathrow region, with 70,000 people working at the airport and an estimated 100,000 other jobs indirectly dependent on the airport.

The former west London MP said: "I have always lived under the flight path. If you asked me if I wanted it for my personal life I would say no, close it down tomorrow morning.

He believes compensation should be fair but believes the case for a third runway is strong, warning of "dire consequences" if it does not go ahead.

...

"There will only be a third runway if environmental problems are solved, chiefly air quality," says David Stewart, Department of Transport spokesman.

BAA says it will await the outcome of the government consultation on the white paper.

"Economically a third runway is desirable but we have to recognise the huge environmental impact," says a BAA spokeswoman.

Any proposals for expansion of Heathrow require planning consent. This will almost certainly require a lengthy public inquiry hearing evidence from all concerned. Changes to the existing runway alternation and lifting the current 480,000 aircraft movements per annum also requires planning changes. The political process continues.

A similar article was in the Guardian on 16 February. There was a less balanced article in the Standard magazine section a few weeks ago - not available on the web.