East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah welcomed the recent Government announcement that a new taskforce is to be set up to explore how best to secure the successful future of aviation in the Southeast, but warned that it could only be a real success if it took on board local concerns as well as those of the aviation industry.
Mr Gyimah said: "The South East Airports Taskforce is a welcome addition to the post-new runway debate. I'm glad the Government is following up its commitment to no runway expansion at Gatwick and Heathrow with proper action to determine how we can move forward and deal with the pressure on capacity now that extra runways have been ruled out".
However, Mr Gyimah also spoke with caution about the as-of-yet undefined remit of the taskforce:
"We have to be wary, though, of just handing more and more power to the big players in the aviation industry. We need to ensure that the views and concerns of the people who are affected most by the changes to airports, including local residents, are properly heard. Whilst it is good to see some consumer and environmental representation on the taskforce, a more even balance must be struck to ensure that local concerns – including over issues such as noise pollution – are at the front of the taskforce's mind when deciding on future capacity policy. I have already raised this issue in Parliament, and I urge those involved to take this into consideration when discussing the remit and makeup of the taskforce in the coming weeks".
The Department of Transport is planning to change the remit of the Civil Aviation Authority so that it has 3 main priorities: consumers, safety and the environment.
Our friends at HACAN commissioned a report from the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF).
Gatwick Can Be Quieter fully endorses this report which makes the following main points:
- — an approach angle of 4 degrees is feasible
- — many more people are affected by aircraft noise that just within the 57 decibel contour pubished
- — the government's approach to concentrating incoming aircraft has had significant detrimental approach to particular communities and "may even act as a constraint to improving the noise situation around UK airports".
- — curved Continuous Descent Approaches (spreading the paths of incoming flights) are being trialled internationally
Your can read the full report here
Lord Justice Carnwarth ruled that the government's decision to build a third runway at Heathrow was "untenable". John McDonnell, MP, said: "What we need now is a sensible approach to developing a sustainable transport policy based upon high-speed rail. Gatwick Can Be Quieter fully supports this view.
We believe that the government must look to alternative forms of transport for shorter distances. Continuous increase in air traffic has a highly detrimental environmental impact both in terms of the noise that it creates and in the increased CO2 emissions. It is not sustainable.