Greater south east England unites against expansion of Heathrow |
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Greater south east England unites against expansion of Heathrow airport
Representatives of the London, South-East and East of England regional planning bodies today (21 November) released a joint statement that expresses their unified position on aviation and opposes further expansion of Heathrow airport. IRF joint statement on aviation - 86 KB At the Advisory Forum on Regional Planning, the Mayor of London and leading members of the South-East and East of England Assemblies agreed that airports are vital to the success of south east England's economy and development of the wider region. They unanimously accept that aviation will continue to grow in the greater south east. But all regions are critical of Government policy, which they believe fails to set out and justify the balance that should be struck between the economic, social and environmental factors and agree Heathrow airport can't bear the weight of expansion proposed by the Government. The environmental impact of aviation is a further concern for the interregional forum: it supports efforts to make aviation less damaging to the environment, such as improving public transport links to airports and stress that local environmental impacts need to be considered. Further discussions are needed about where airport expansion is appropriate, but all regions agree that existing aviation infrastructure should be used to its fullest extent. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "I'm working closely with neighbours in the South East and East of England regions on future aviation plans for the wider region. We unanimously agree that expanding Heathrow airport would be a bad move. I am keen to know what the alternatives are to Heathrow expansion and, for example, whether the idea of a new airport in the Thames estuary is viable or not, and this needs full investigation. I'm eager for our three regions to closely explore how we can meet our future aviation needs and ensure existing infrastructure is not wasted." Cllr Paul Carter, Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly, said: "I want to work with the Mayor to look at the case for making more efficient use of existing airport infrastructure. For example in the South East, Kent International Airport has an appetite for significant expansion. Kent International Airport could handle an extra six million passenger movements a year which would boost the local economy in an area of high deprivation." Cllr Derrick Ashley from the East of England Regional Assembly said: "EERA has consistently opposed a second runway at Stansted Airport, while accepting that more can be done to make more effective use of existing capacity. Promoting long-term alternatives to short distance flights is also part of the solution." |
