A SECOND public consultation meeting over Leeds Bradford Airport’s new airspace change proposal will take place in Burley-in-Wharfedale next week – but a promised further meeting in Menston will now not take place.
The Burley meeting – which takes place at Salem Church Hall (behind the Queen’s Head), on Main Street, Burley, between 3pm and 8pm on Thursday, November 2 – has been called following criticism of the quality of the first consultation meeting.
Cllr Gerry Barker Wharfedale (Con) said: “The expected presentation on what was going to occur did not take place, instead there were displays of maps and charts on view that required explaining by LBA staff to the people who attended. The result being that people asked the same questions, with no structure to the points being made to enable an overall picture to be formed. Some people went away happy with the answers given to the narrow focus of their questions, resulting in LBA declaring it a great success.
“This alleged consultation was seen as wholly inadequate by many in attendance and viewed purely as an exercise by LBA to pay ‘lip service’ to its statutory obligations. As a result, further representations were made to LBA by village representatives, the Wharfedale District Councillors and also Philip Davies, MP, with the result being that LBA has agreed to undertake another consultation at Salem Church Hall (behind the Queen’s Head), on Main Street, Burley, between 3.00pm and 8.00pm on Thursday 2nd November 2017. Unfortunately, this will, again, take the form of a drop-in session.
“As the six-week consultation process expires on Sunday 5th November, this must be seen as the final opportunity that residents will have to voice their concerns, of which there are many. It will, however, provide little opportunity for people to submit written observations, as there will be only one working day left to post letters for delivering by first class post prior to the closing date on Sunday – two days later! This is outrageous and completely unfair.”
“The people of Wharfedale deserve proper and constructive answers to what is happening with LBA and its impact on the local community, not least of which being the intention to double the number of flights by 2030,” added Cllr Barker.
Alan Elsegood, Menston’s representative on the airport’s consultative committee who had called for – and been promised – a second meeting in Menston said village residents had not had a proper opportunity to be fully informed and to participate in the consultation process.
“There are lots of issues to be concerned about, such as the “concentration” of flights along a single path in the future, the way that noise is monitored by LBA, the potential implications for health and property values which have simply not been ventilated and clarified,” said Mr Elsegood.
“It remains unclear why LBA will not facilitate the sorts of meeting which was requested and which would enable residents to understand and participate in the consultation, and why they appear to be in such as hurry to close the process when nothing will happen until at least October 2108.”
Article originally appeared on Ilkley Gazette
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