Angry residents confront London City Airport bosses about expansion plans

Angry residents of Redbridge and Waltham Forest crowded into a school hall to confront London City Airport (LCA) chiefs over plans to increase flights by 110 a day

Addressing the meeting organised by Cannhall Residents Association, Director of Hacan East (Heathrow Control of Airport Noise), John Stewart highlighted how the plans would see the 24 hour window over the weekend (12.30 on Saturday to 12.30 on Sunday) removed, as well as extended flying times at the beginning and end of each day.

The plans will see 40,000 more flight over a year.

Wanstead Village councillor Paul Donovan questioned why there had not been a consultation meeting scheduled for Redbridge residents. “There are four councillors and a lot of residents from Redbridge here in Waltham Forest tonight to hear what is happening in our borough, this is not good enough,” said Cllr Donovan, who also questioned the predict and provide approach to airport expansion regardless of the environmental implications. “Your own consultation paper states that the London airports will be at full capacity – including Heathrow with a third runway – by the 2030s – excluding Standsted. London City Airport’s data suggests your business passenger traffic has flatlined, whilst leisure has increased. This means the expansion is just about putting more and more air traffic up above us. It is not sustainable.”

Wanstead Park councillor Cllr Sheila Bain questioned the way in which the consultation was being conducted, with a lack of publicity, particularly in Redbridge, as to how to take part.

Liam McKay, director of Corporate Affairs at LCA, confirmed that there will now be a meeting in Redbridge. He also pointed out that the airport did not have to consult.

Another resident asked the LCA reps whether they had children. She asked were they not concerned about the future for those children, with the sort of damage being done to the planet by flying.

Leyton and Wanstead Mp John Cryer welcomed the willingness of LCA to consult and come to the meeting with local residents. He pointed out how over the years they had been reluctant to communicate with him, unlike most other elements of the aviation industry.

He pointed out that the skies over his constituency were already overcrowded with planes, these proposals would simply make things worse.

 

Other Redbridge councillors attending included Cllr Paul Merry from Wanstead Park and Judith Garfield from Barkingside.

 

*To submit your views to the consultation – open until 20/9/2019 – see: https://www.londoncityairport.com/corporate/consultation
To sign the Stop City Airport petition - https://t.co/IKOvFyY9Uc?amp=1