Following my public meeting with representatives from Heathrow Airport earlier in the month, many residents have been writing to me to express their concerns over how proposed flight paths would impact Wimbledon.
Let me be clear, I oppose any plans that will see more noisy flights over Wimbledon.
In the Wimbledon area we have many schools, hospitals, and elderly care homes which would be impacted by more noise from flights and more air pollution.
Furthermore, Wimbledon Village is a conservation area the character of which would be damaged by more noise and pollution, alongside other such areas throughout Merton.
Wimbledon generally avoids aircraft noise, depending on the prevailing wind, and does not currently experience any flight paths on the approach to Heathrow. An increase in flights over the area would therefore have a disproportionate impact.
I want to encourage everyone who is concerned about this to respond to the consultation, and particularly to highlight local factors that Heathrow should consider. The consultation closes on Monday 4th March at 11.55pm.
It is important to note that this consultation is about the flight envelopes and there will be further consultations on the more specific flight paths. Firstly, there will be a consultation in June on what an expanded Heathrow will look like, a surface access strategy, and the impact on the environment. Secondly, there will be a consultation on ‘airspace modernisation’ and specific flight paths in 2022.
I understand some constituents are finding filling in the consultation survey frustrating and overly technical and I have fed this back to Heathrow Airport. This survey and the associated information on the consultation can be found at: https://afo.heathrowconsultation.com
It is vital that residents communicate their views to Heathrow and know that the survey is not the only way to take part in the consultation. Alternatively, responses can be made by email to [email protected] - with it being particularly important to highlight local factors.
These emails must be sent to Heathrow before 11.55pm on Monday 4th March. I have asked for an extension for the current consultation, but they will not agree to that.
Finally, below is a copy of the presentation given at my public meeting and and a response from Heathrow Airport following some of the points raised by residents.
Response from Heathrow Airport
- Encourage constituents to respond to the consultation on local factors Heathrow should take into account as well as views on operation of three runways – Heathrow has to provide a feedback report which responds to the feedback received stating both what feedback has been taken into account and used and also what has not been taken into account and why.
- The figures provided with the design envelopes show the worst case scenario – on the lowest height for example we have shown how the height for how the heaviest possible plane would fly if there are no changes to our operating heights. As well as consulting with the public Heathrow are also consulting with airlines on the angle of take-off and landings and would hope to make these much steeper and therefore planes would be higher in those bands.
- Flight paths will not cover the whole of the design envelopes – it is just showing areas in which they may be placed.
- With expansion as well as runway alternation there will also be airspace alternation – this means that when we are at a stage of designing flight paths we will be able to alternate between them so the same area is not always overflown.