Council leaders warn Heathrow expansion could cause 'irreparable damage'

Leaders of 22 councils opposed to the expansion of Heathrow have warned ministers that expanding the airport would cause 'irreparable damage' to the quality of life for people under runway flightpaths.

The 2M group says the airport has reached its maximum size and should not be allowed to grow any further. Members will resist measures to expand the existing runways or build a new third runway.

Councillors say the Transport Department has failed to prove that adding more flights at the airport could be achieved without breaching EU air pollution limits or making noise worse.

Councillors also warn that, without investment in local rail links, roads around Heathrow will become gridlocked and buses and tubes overloaded.

Civil servants' own forecasts show the numbers of road users and public transport users doubling by 2030 if a third runway is built.

Wandsworth leader Edward Lister speaking on behalf of 2M said: "It's not good enough for ministers to say a bigger Heathrow would be good for the economy and simply ignore the environmental costs.

"It's time for an independent study which would compare the impact of airport growth with investment in a UK-wide high speed rail network. Then we could see the real consequences for jobs.

"We also want ministers to stop parading the so-called Heathrow Hub as evidence of their high speed rail credentials. Why would you spend £4.4bn on a 15-mile tunnel from Heathrow to St Pancras when the whole country is crying out for fast rail links?

"The first Midlands stretch of the 2M plan for a high speed line to the North would provide 100 times better value for money than a tunnel whose main purpose would be to bring in more air travellers to Heathrow from northern Europe.

"A comprehensive UK high speed rail network combined with efficient local rail connections to Heathrow would bring economic benefits to Scotland and the North - and to the airport as local connections were improved.

"The country is crying out for new and imaginative approaches to national transport policy. Giving BAA what they want does not work for London and does nothing for the rest of the country."

The airport's current capacity limit is set at 480,000 movements a year. This would go up to 702,000 if a third runway went ahead. The increase is equivalent to building a new airport the size of Gatwick.

Making maximum use of existing runways could add 60,000 flights although experts says this figure could rise to 170,000 in time. Using the two runways in 'mixed mode' could mean all-day flights in areas which currently get relief at 3pm.

The 2M Group is an all-party alliance of local authorities concerned at the environmental impact of Heathrow expansion on their communities.

The group, which took its name from the two million residents of the original 12 members, now represents 22 authorities with a combined population of around 5 million people and is supported by the Mayor of London.

The full membership comprises the London Boroughs of Brent, Camden, Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, Southwark and Wandsworth, the boroughs of Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead and South Bucks District Council