The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has been urged to take into account Hounslow’s reliance on Heathrow when he makes his submission to the Sir Howard Davies’ Airport Commission on Monday (15 July). London-wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said “residents don’t want a bigger Heathrow but a better Heathrow”.
Boris Johnson has been vocal about his support for new hub airport in the Thames Estuary. However, Hounslow Council recently undertook a borough-wide consultation and results showed that the majority of residents did not want Heathrow to be expanded but also did not want the airport to close. According to Hounslow, over 11,000 Hounslow residents (around 10 per cent of its working population) are employed at Heathrow.
Labour London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said:
“The Mayor must take into consideration the views of the people of Hounslow when making his submission to the Davies’ Commission and stop pursuing his bizarre plan for an airport in the Thames Estuary.
“Boris should acknowledge Hounslow is the borough most affected by Heathrow in terms of noise and the economy and the recent consultation undertaken by the local authority reflected the reliance residents have on Heathrow. West London would lose thousands of jobs if Heathrow was to close and Boris should not ignore this. In Hounslow alone, 10 per cent of working people are employed by Heathrow.
“Residents are adversely affected by the noise from Heathrow and the consultation showed they want to see night flights banned. But they also need the jobs they have at Heathrow - residents don’t want a bigger Heathrow but a better Heathrow.”
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Notes
1. Murad Qureshi is a London-wide Assembly Member and the London Assembly Labour Group Environment spokesperson.
2. Mayor of London Boris Johnson is announcing his submission response to the Sir Howard Davies’ Airport Commission on Monday 15 July at 10am at City Hall.