Conservative Leadership Election 'Opportunity' For Campaign Against Third Runway

Local group take protest to Downing Street with MP Ruth Cadbury

The Conservative Party leadership election provides a great opportunity to reinforce the un-deliverability of Heathrow expansion, according to Chiswick-based group CHATR (Chiswick Against The Third Runway).

This week Ruth Cadbury MP led a deputation of six CHATR petitioners to Downing Street to deliver 1,055 postcards and a letter, protesting against the proposed third runway at Heathrow. These were completed at the Greens Days weekend fair in June.

The MP for Brentford & Isleworth said as soon as the new Conservative Party leader was elected, she would make it her business to find out their stance towards Heathrow expasion.

Ruth said: “I attended the Green Days event as part of the 50th anniversary Bedford Park Festival where most of these protest postcards were completed. The signatories were horrified when they saw the detailed map of their area which showed where the possible flight paths would be. In many cases they could see their home very close to one of the red lines, and that really scared them.”

“As MP for Brentford and Isleworth I represent people who are already under the Heathrow flight paths, and this makes their lives misery. I have many thousands more constituents who would be over-flown for the first time should a third runway be built. So I was more than happy to lead the CHATR deputation to deliver 1,055 protest postcards to 10 Downing Street.”

The design of the postcards enabled people to tell the Prime Minister why they object. Analysis of the boxes ticked by the signatories on their cards revealed the following result:

1. Pollution 92%
2. Noise 91%
3. Climate change 69%
4. Safety & security 49%
5. Loss of homes 48%
6. Cost of infrastructure 47%

Since Green Days there has been an extraordinary series of events which has led to David Cameron resigning as Prime Minister. However one of his parting acts was to delegate the decision on the three options for airport expansion – a 3rd runway or an extended Northern runway at Heathrow, or a 2nd runway at Gatwick – to his successor.

July 8, 2016