People have been asking us what is happening?

We are once again very pleased that the London Borough of Hillingdon (see page 5) are firmly against the Third Runway.

Our local MP John McDonnell said he will fight the Third Runway all the way.

The "No 3rd Runway Coalition" - of which we are a part, is becoming more active and ramping up its efforts now, and like us, are totally against any expansion at Heathrow.

At the Local Community Forum meeting, Nigel Milton (Heathrow's Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer) was talking to us about Rachel Reeves (The Chancellors) announcement in January. She said she would be inviting:-

- proposals (that's plural) by the summer (not end of summer) and that

- the government would then review the ANPS (Airport National Policy Statement) in light of those proposals

- and then make a decision on who to proceed with

- to secure planning permission within this parliament (and this parliament goes on till the end of 2029)

Nigel said that Heathrow hadn't expected this announcement - and that Heathrow had other more modest plans which are still going ahead, but given the request by the Chancellor, for organisations to submit proposals for a third runway, Heathrow were intending to do so by the set deadline of summer - which he seemed to think was July. So until July, absolutely nothing is happening.

He said that there was apparently at least one other proposal from a competing consortium being considered. Assuming Heathrow do submit a proposal - it is not going to be a one horse race.

Here at Stop Heathrow Expansion we are not going to sit on our hands and do nothing. We are revitalising our committee, getting some plans in order, and we will be ready and waiting once we know what proposals are being made. So equally, nothing effectively is expected before the Autumn, although, once we know what the proposal or proposals are, we can start saying things like "this proposal isn't what the ANPS was looking for, and therefore we think the government should be turning the proposal down"

or

"the government should be revising the old 2018 ANPS" - which will require the ANPS to go back to parliament, and this gives us the opportunity through the autumn, to try and influence parliamentarians.

Having read what Rachel Reeves had actually said, Justine was worried that the government is going to water things down by saying the proposals only need meet the environmental legislation that was enacted in 2018 when the ANPS was adopted. However, at the LCF Nigel Milton reassured her that Heathrow was going to ensure that its proposal would meet the current legislation or any future environmental regulations that are in place at the point they get the Development Consent Order, which will be at best, several years down the line.

We haven't gone to sleep, we are on the case, the first time there will be any sensible opportunity to make our point of view heard, is going to be in the early autumn, and so we may well be calling on your support at that point, if anything changes in the mean time, we will send you another newsletter.

We will be having an AGM sometime this summer, but will give you good warning of it, and hope to see you all there.