Agenda item

To establish a resident-led working group to consider the proposals for the expansion of Heathrow airport and to help form the Council’s response to the Airport Commission

The Committee received a report from the Head of Policy & Strategy proposing the establishment of a resident-led working group to gather evidence regarding the impacts of the proposed Heathrow Airport expansion.

Officers reported that the Airports Commission was established by Government in 2012 to consider how additional aviation capacity could be delivered for the UK. In December 2013 there were three options for expansion published – two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Commission undertook to consult on the three options in the autumn of 2014, but this had not yet commenced. In order to inform the Council’s response to the Commission it was proposed that a resident-led working group, chaired by Christina Smyth, would look at the evidence and report its findings to the PAC at its January 2015 meeting.

The Chair invited comments on the proposed terms of reference of the working group. A member of the public asked whether they could include reviewing the capacity of Stansted Airport. It was argued that if Crossrail was extended to Stansted and more flights were directed there, then Heathrow could be developed as a business hub without increasing the number of flights crossing the borough. Ms Smyth explained that whilst suggestions such as this would be collected and reported, the working group would need to focus on the shortlist prepared by the Airports Commission, and what the impact on Hammersmith & Fulham residents would be. In order for the working group’s conclusions to have some weight, they would need to address issues such as health, noise, the economy, people and communities. Concerns regarding the capacity of local roads was also raised by members of the public and Ms Smyth confirmed that traffic increases during and post construction would be part of the investigations.

A member of the public expressed concern that increased flights over the borough would pose significant risks of an air disaster, especially as there were recent examples of near-misses. He cited incidents in June 2013 when flight BA A319 flew over the borough whilst on fire and in January 2008 when a large BA 777 flight crash-landed at Heathrow, as well as the fatal helicopter crash in Vauxhall. It was suggested that the working group might like to submit a Freedom of Information request for details of all near-misses in the area so that it could fully understand the risks. Members of the public expressed the view that a one in 100 year risk of a serious incident was too high for a heavily populated area.

Ms Smyth was asked whether the working group would include any environmental experts to fully analyse the evidence. She explained that the working group would not co-opt experts, but would be interviewing a number of them and weighing-up the evidence available. In particular, the working group would be seeking to interrogate the assertions made by the Airports Commission regarding noise levels, and comparing them against the guidelines published by Defra and the World Health Organisation. Cllr Holder informed Ms Smyth that as the Council’s lead member for hospitals and health care, she would be able to help put the working group in contact with public health organisations.

A member of the public asked if the working group had a pre-set position on Heathrow expansion, and argued that many residents supported the plans to expand Heathrow, as shown by a recent Populus poll. Ms Smyth explained that the Council and local MPs would seek to reflect the prevailing public opinion. The working group would take an impartial approach to the evidence available to ascertain whether an expansion would have health impacts on local residents. So far evidence suggested that an expansion would be detrimental to local health, but the members of the group would be open to any evidence which suggested otherwise.

Ms Smyth explained that the comments made on the Council’s website could not be used as primary evidence as they could not be verified and were not an accurate representation of the local community. However all comments were being read and used to guide the lines of inquiry for the working group by highlighting issues that require further investigation.

Ms Smyth was asked how residents would be made aware of the work and it was suggested that a leaflet should be included with Council Tax bills. It was confirmed however that the bills would be issued after the working group’s work had been completed so this was not possible. The working group would be seeking to engage residents and would circulate information as widely as possible using the Council’s communication channels.

The Chair invited members of the public present to share their views on the proposals, and the following points were raised:

·         The targets for pollution levels along the M4 corridor were already not being met, so any expansion would only make this worse

·         One member of the public explained that flights went over his house every 30-60 seconds which meant around 2,500 flights each month, starting at 4:30am each morning. The constant disturbances seriously affected the quality of his day-to-day life

·         Another member of the public was moved due to ill health, but was now under the flight path. Being woken up every morning was having a serious impact on her health and she argued that the pollution had caused her daughter to develop asthma. Despite double glazing, the noise was unbearable already, so if there were more flights it would only get worse

·         Claims made by the airline industry that new planes were quieter than previously needed to be interrogated as they were still extremely noisy, particularly their reverse thrusts

·         Measurements of noise levels needed to take into account the weather. For example when it was overcast the noise was much greater as the clouds held the sound in

·         The potential for expanded operating hours needed to be considered. Ms Smyth agreed and highlighted Heathrow’s aspiration to be an international hub airport. She speculated that it was therefore possible that the airport would seek to operate 24 hours a day at some point in the future

·         Given the questions surrounding the Airport Commission’s noise numbers and the use of average levels per hour rather than per incidence, could the Council commission an independent study? Ms Smyth explained that this was unlikely to be possible given the timescales. Current evidence would be weighed up and its validity considered

·         Ms Smyth highlighted that the working group would be a commission and not a campaign, but acknowledged the potential for the topic to become an election issue in the upcoming General Election

Andy Slaughter MP addressed the Committee and argued that the majority of local opinion was against any sort of expansion at Heathrow. He also criticised the decision to have the Airports Commission not publish its final report until after the election, highlighting that its chair, Sir Howard Davies, had conceded that it could be ready beforehand. Mr Slaughter urged all local candidates to be open about their position on airport expansion. He also argued that Mr Davies had been helpful with his interim report as it had debunked many myths such as the commercial imperative for Heathrow to become a hub airport. Mr Slaughter felt that the interim report suggested that expansion at Gatwick was now the most economically advantageous option. He also explained that there was an all-party group at Parliament opposing Heathrow expansion and that he believed the momentum was with their position. Finally he stated that not being in favour of expansion was not the same as being pro-closure of Heathrow. He acknowledged the positive impacts on the local economy and the importance of the airport to industry, and argued that these would continue without further expansion.

The Chair informed those present that the working group’s final report would be received by the Committee at its meeting on 13^th January, and would be available on the Council’s website five working days beforehand. He thanked the members of the public for attending and sharing their views with the Committee, which would be fed into the investigations of the working group.

RESOLVED –

i)          That the CSERS PAC appoint a resident-led working group to assess the impact of Heathrow expansion, working with the Terms of Reference set out in the report; and

ii)         That the working group should report its recommendations to the PAC on 13^th January which, if approved, will help form the Council’s current and future policy position in relation to Heathrow expansion.

A short adjournment was agreed while some members of the public left the meeting