The response to the Government consultation proposals for the expansion of Heathrow Airport is determined by the Executive, but Liberal Democrats John Doran and Ian Beardsmore gave the issue an airing at the previous Full Council on the 22nd January. John and Ian’s motion to oppose any expansion was amended to add ‘unless and until comprehensive and credible investment whicih satisfactorily addresses the environmental and surface assess issues … ‘

Not exactly what we wanted, but better than embracing the whole concept of heavily increasing airtraffic into Heathrow.

The Executive ‘Response to the Government’ that has now been brought to Full Council for information but not for decision was also not as bad as it could have been.

While recognising the economic value of Heathrow, ‘Surrey County Council cannot support any further expansion of Heathrow Airport on the basis of the proposals set out by the Government in its consultation document.’

‘The Council notes with some regret that the proposals in the consultation paper are so gravely flawed that the irretrievably undermine the arguments for the economic benefits they could bring.’

The ‘Response’ emphasises the need to get in place ‘measures to mitigate the environmental shortcomings of any expansion. These would include a whole range of practical schemes such as AirTrack, involving a new stretch of rail from Staines to Heathrow, allowing direct trains on the lines from Reading, Guildford, and Waterloo.

In my view the climate change implications of increasing air traffic when we should be making an enormous reduction is a more important consideration than the increases to local congestion and so on. So I was heartened that even the Conservative Executive puts top of the list of why the proposals fail, that they are ‘based on … excluding aviation from the targets for reducing greenhouses gases and emissions’., They continue to say ‘the immedidate need is for investment to improve the quality of the Airport, not the quantity of the flights.’ 

Perhaps they were listening to us, at least a bit.