As the Government consultation on Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport closes, Darren Johnson, a Green Party Member of the London Assembly, has today published his response.
The Government is proposing to add a third runway and sixth terminal to the airport, thereby increasing the number of take-offs and landings to over 700,000 a year – an increase virtually equivalent to the current size of Gatwick airport.
Darren is strongly opposed to the expansion and is instead calling for the Government to begin contracting Heathrow, by introducing legislation to ban short-haul flights and strengthening high-speed rail links to the rest of Europe. Hub flights contribute very little to the London economy and research commissioned by the London Mayor has shown that the case for Heathrow’s role as a transport hub ‘does not appear to be very strong’.
Darren said, "A new runway would lead to spiralling carbon dioxide emissions, unacceptable noise disturbance for over two million Londoners and worsening air quality, yet the economic benefits would be highly questionable. Expanding Heathrow does not make economic or environmental sense."