CHATR And Bedford Park Society Help 'Plant' Third Runway

Local residents join other anti-expansion groups at Westminster protest

CHATR and the Bedford Park Society joined other anti-airport expansion groups to ‘plant’ a 3rd runway by the Houses of Parliament.

The teams planted 2,000 black ‘no 3rd runway’ planes in the Victoria Tower Gardens in Westminster, the approximate number of flights which will use Heathrow in one day if a 3rd runway is built (up from 1,300 at present).

“Our aim is to focus attention on the many serious public health and environmental concerns that would be raised if a 3rd runway at Heathrow gets the go ahead later this year”, said Deborah Cadbury for CHATR, Chiswick Against the Third Runway.

Image - Phil Weedon

Members of CHATR and the Bedford Park Society were joined by other London groups opposed to a 3rd Runway including SHE (Stop Heathrow Expansion), ENAG (Ealing Noise Action Group), Friends of the Earth, and HACAN, the long established campaign group against Heathrow expansion, as well as residents living west of the airport.

John Stewart, the chairman of HACAN, told the press, “2016 is likely to be the year when the Government makes a decision about a new runway. It will be a grim year for Heathrow residents if the Government decides to go for a third runway at Heathrow. Our New Year’s message to the Prime Minister is we will fight to the bitter end to stop a third runway happening.

Nicholas de Mesquita, Honorary Secretary of the Bedford Park Society commented: “It is hard to see how the government can spend tax payers money on a 3rd runway, locking into our infrastructure for generations to come something that we know is harmful to human health."

For Peter Eversden, Chairman, Bedford Park Society, has commented on the latest developments.

The 'planes' were designed by Hamish Pringle and are available through CHATR with a donation to the campaign fund.

Pringle commented: “Each of these 2,000 black planes represents a daily flight overhead to Heathrow, should the 3rd runway be built. This would be a 54% increase. Each landing and take-off, with related increases in road traffic, results in emissions, pollution and noise, which damage our environment and our health.

"For these reasons, 700 additional planes daily should not be flying over a major city, to say nothing of the increased risk of accident, nor the enormous, unbudgeted cost to the tax payer. We look to the Prime Minister to keep his pre-election promise in 2009: no ifs, no buts, no third runway.”

E-mail: chatr@gmail.com or follow on Twitter

January 7, 2016