Conservative town hall chiefs today accused the Government of “misleading” up to three million people over the impact of a third runway at Heathrow.
The leaders of Wandsworth, Richmond, Hillingdon and even Theresa May’s Windsor and Maidenhead council tore into the Department for Transport over a consultation leaflet sent to around 1.5 million households and businesses, an estimated 3 million people.
The DfT was accused of a “dishonest approach” over expansion with the “shamelessly one-sided” leaflet which councils say failed to include:
- Proposed new flight paths.
- The fact that there could be up to 260,000 more flights a year.
- That tens of thousands of people would get less respite from noise.
- That a third runway is expected to increase air pollution.
- An alleged increase in road traffic.
However, the leaflet highlighted that a third runway was expected to deliver economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to £61 billion, tens of thousands of additional local jobs, £2.6 billion in compensation for local communities, six new domestic flight routes, a Heathrow pledge to create 5,000 new apprenticeships and £700 million of noise insulation for homes.
Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth council, said: “This consultation is clearly designed to mislead millions of people. The Government’s publicity material is shamelessly one-sided.”
Attacking the lack of flight path details, he said: “The Government’s dishonest approach is undermining the fragile trust our residents have in politics.”
Wandsworth claimed that some areas which may be overflown from a bigger Heathrow were not included in the leaflet consultation exercise, including Clapham, Lambeth, Pimlico, Marylebone, Westminster, Streatham, Mayfair and Kennington.
Richmond council leader Lord True claimed that communities around Heathrow already suffered more noise and air pollution than similar ones near any other European airport.
He said: “Incredibly, these proposals conveniently miss out the fact that with a third runway, noise respite will be halved. Many residents will be overflown for 75 per cent of the time. The Government need to stop the spin.”
Hillingdon leader Ray Puddifoot said: “There is no mention of the increase in traffic and rail use…nor of the fact Heathrow already contributes to illegal levels of air pollution.”
Simon Dudley, leader of Windsor & Maidenhead, said the leaflet misses out information about flight paths and environmental impacts and “is hugely disappointing.”
A DfT spokeswoman said the consultation “clearly sets out the benefits and potential impacts of expansion” and showed “a world-class package of compensation and mitigation measures.”
Article originally published by London Evening Standard
