The 2M Group: against Heathrow expansion
The 2007 consultation
The January 2009 decision followed proposals published in a consultation document Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport www.dft.gov.uk/heathrowconsultation.
The 2007 document comprised an assessment of environmental impacts - in particular noise and air quality.
Consultation closed in February 2008. Here are the final responses from 2M members to the consultation:
The 2M position
The 2M Group said that the Government and the industry had consistently overstated the economic benefits of aviation and fail to measure the full environmental costs.
The group called for an independent cost-benefit analysis for all expansion proposals.
We did not think expanding Heathrow was consistent with climate change objectives - nor that it was fair on other sectors with much tougher carbon emissions targets.
We did not think the Government could be confident that new, cleaner, quieter aircaft would be available in sufficient numbers for air quality and noise limits to be met.
The 2M newsletter published in 2008 set out the boroughs' concerns about the expansion plans.
The 2M response
2M members responded individually to the consultation. The statement here summaries the main concerns of the Group about the inadequacies of the consultation
The Government's own environmental advisers have also queried many of the assumptions in the consultation document.
Download the Breaking the Holding Pattern report from the Sustainable Development Commission.
Briefing the EU Environment Commissioner
2M leaders have also been to Strasbourg to brief EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas on how Heathrow expansion plans would breach new nitrogen dioxide limits. You can download the prensentation from the Related Downloads area.
