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Consultation over Heathrow ignores 500,000 residents
Elizabeth Hopkirk, Evening Standard28.01.08
Half a million residents directly affected by the Heathrow expansion have been left out of a government consultation into the scheme.
Residents are furious that they have not been given a say over the proposals, which would see an extra 220,000 planes a year flying over large areas of south and west London. Airport owner BAA wants to build a third runway and scrap restrictions which give those living under the flight path peace for half the day.
More than 200,000 consultation documents were sent out in November when the process was launched by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly. But campaigners claim huge swathes of homes in Hammersmith, Shepherd's Bush, Chiswick, East Putney, Kensington, Holland Park and Southall were excluded because they fell outside the worst-affected areas.
Campaigners now believe the "flaws" in the consultation process are grounds for a legal challenge and have instructed lawyers to investigate taking the Government to judicial review within a fortnight. This could force ministers to begin the consultation process all over again and would seriously delay any expansion.
The decision comes just a week after ministers were forced to expand the consultation to the whole of Hammersmith and Fulham. Campaigners successfully challenged the Government's-narrow criteria for inclusion. Other boroughs are now expected to push for the same concessions.
John Stewart, chairman of protest group HACAN ClearSkies, said: "Around 250,000 to 500,000 people who will be affected by the plans didn't get a response form. Some of them will be getting a plane over their heads every 90 seconds. Their lives will be turned upside down and yet they have had no chance to express their views.
"When we put that to our lawyers they felt we had a pretty strong case."
Virtually none of the 400 residents at a public meeting in Turnham Green this month were sent a form.
Mike Russell, 54, a photographer from Chiswick, said: "It's a disgrace. The Government's first responsibility is to act on behalf of its citizens and this Government consistently acts on behalf of corporations."
The leader of Hammersmith & Fulham council, Stephen Greenhalgh, last week forced aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick to back down and include the whole borough in the consultation.
Mr Greenhalgh said: "They are the ones who will have to put up with extra noise, pollution, overcrowded trains and road congestion should these plans ever be implemented."
Ealing council is considering a similar appeal, arguing that the DfT's calculations "seriously underestimate" the borough's noise blight.
With a barely a month to go before the consultation is due to end on 27 February, campaigners now plan to fight to extend the deadline.
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said documents were widely available online and by phone.
Reader views (2)
This consultation process, if it can be called as such, is a disgrace. The government has abandoned the principles of representing the people. The economic argument for this expansion is flawed and is an easy get out for the government. Almost 30% of flights from Heathrow are internal - get these people on to trains please! In addition to this an alarming number of flights leave Heathrow without full capacity. The recent accident illustrates this - an airplane with a capacity of over 300 had 136 passengers & 16 crew.
- Michael Gibbons, Heston,
Speaking as one of the few that did get the consultation it appears that it has been devised to allow comments on some details only and is largely based on data provided by BAA. It accepts without comment the need for a third runway and the level of noise that would be a nuisance. In other words if people wish to comment they would do far better to write in directly to register whether or not they accept that the economic case for a third runway has been made, that there is a case for more flights or that more flights would be environmentally acceptable.
- Alan Pates, Putney, SW15
