Supporter Update, March 2021
Night flights consultation - closing 3rd March 2021
A reminder that the first part of the Government's consultation on night flights closes tomorrow, 3rd March 2021. If you haven't already, please take some time to send you views to the Department for Transport. See below for contact information.
In late January, the consultation was split into two parts.
Part 1 focuses on two key areas (closing on 3rd March 2021):
extending the existing night flights regime beyond its current expiry date of October 2022 until October 2024.
stopping the use of QC4-rated aircraft at night.
Part 2 looks at long term policy on night flights beyond 2024 (closing on 31st May 2021)
See the full consultation here. Questions 6 - 12 relate to part 1 and questions 13 onwards relate to part 2. It is frustrating that this isn't made much clearer by the Department for Transport.
We have provided a guide with our views on issues relating to the first part of the consultation, to assist you with your response. We will provide a guide to the second part of the consultation in due course.
You can send your responses by email to night.flights@dft.gov.uk. Please also copy your response to us at info@stopheathrowexpansion.co.uk and include the first part of your postcode. This will enable us to hold Heathrow to account in any future consultation where flight numbers may increase.
Please see some of our recent letters to local newspapers on this and other topics are placed on the letters page on our website.
Legal challenge
The Good Law Project announced that they would pursue legal action if the Government does not review the Airports National Policy Statement.
The Secretary of State has now refused to commit to the review at this stage on the basis that it concerns “complex issues” that need “appropriate policy and legal input”. The Good Law Project have pressed the Government to a date by which they will provide a final response.
We will keep you updated with progress. Here's more information on the case.
New Parliamentary report on building aviation back better
Building Aviation Back Better, a new report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Heathrow Expansion and Regional Connectivity was launched last week, following an inquiry held last year. The group, which is Co-Chaired by Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner MP David Simmonds and Brentford & Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury, provides a long list of recommendations to Government on the theme of providing better, long term solutions that will benefit not only communities around Heathrow and other airports, but the wider environment and those both working at and travelling to airports.
A large number of themes are covered, including climate change, impacts to communities, jobs, regional balance, taxation as well as the long awaited Aviation White Paper. The recommendations are on pages 4 - 6 and the evidence is discussed throughout the report.
Philip Sherwood
We are extremely sad to learn that Philip Sherwood, a long-term opponent of the expansion of Heathrow Airport, died last week aged 92. He used to recount how in 1946 he went to his first public meeting opposing the expansion of the airport onto the farmland north of the A4 – and he has been a vocal opponent of the many plans to do so that have been proposed by the Government and others since then. Whilst some terminals have been added and Heathrow evolved into a major hub airport, no new runways have been built throughout the entire period of Philip’s involvement. We are sad that he did not live to see the successful end of our present campaign, but like us he was convinced that the current expansion proposals were no more likely to succeed than those that preceded them.
Many SHE supporters may never have met Philip in person, but many may own one or more of his well-researched and fully illustrated books on aspects of the history of Heathrow and the surrounding areas. Some of these books are still in print and many of the earlier ones can be found on Waterstones, Amazon and other online sites.
Warm Regards and please continue to stay safe,
Stop Heathrow Expansion Committee