Hounslow cautious on Heathrow

Hounslow Council have given said one of Heathrow’s proposals for expansion is “out of the blue”, but have not dismissed it out of hand.

The council has been opposed to any expansion at Heathrow, but firmly set against its closure, as many jobs in the borough depend on the airport.

Following the release of Heathrow’s proposals submitted to the Davies Commission, which provided three options for a new runway, Cllr Colin Ellar, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, said: “Heathrow’s submission offers something old, something new, and something out of the blue.

“Undoubtedly, new parts of our borough would be hit hard by the south west runway proposal at Stanwell Moor. The north runway – the Sipson option – which unlike its predecessor is a full-length runway, would also have a profoundly negative impact.

“The north-west runway, which would cut across the M25, is a surprising development and we would need to examine its potential impact further. With all of these options, we will be carrying out detailed work to understand the noise impact on our communities.

”The submission makes the right noises about noise insulation, but there is no detail yet in respect of the cost of the scheme, and crucially who would pay for it.

“The proposal to use only one runway for very late night or early morning departures and arrivals is potentially welcome for our residents, whose night’s sleep is disturbed, but again we would need to see the detail.

“At face value the proposals on improving rail links are welcome and would help alleviate congestion on the roads and help existing public transport links which are bursting at the seams, however, we need to see concrete plans rather than aspirations.”

LB Hillingdon remain opposed to any form of expansion at the largest source of employment in their borough – with leader Ray Puddifoot describing the proposals as “the same elephant in a new pair of trousers”.