Green's airport warnings

1st February 2009

The Greens have criticised the Government's decision, opposed by all Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs, to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The Greens have also warned that Sheffield residents are at risk if Doncaster Council allow the owners of Doncaster Sheffield airport's to relax noise restrictions on night flights.

Cllr Bernard Little said;

"The argument that opponents of a third runway are trying to stop poor people having their cheap holidays in the sun is bogus. A report published in September by the World Development Movement and the New Economics Foundation has found that people on low incomes, who make up a third of the UK population, account for less than 8 per cent of passengers on low-cost flights from the UK. In fact, in 2007 the aviation industry cost UK taxpayers £10.4 billion
through tax exemptions.

"Aviation is already the fastest rising source of CO2 emissions in the UK. The government has adopted a target of 80% reduction of 1990 levels of CO2 emissions by 2050, which expanding aviation will make impossible to meet.

"Airplanes cause noise pollution too. The owners of Doncaster Sheffield Airport have submitted a Consultative Document to Doncaster Council with the aim of relaxing the noise rules for night flying for freight aircraft, which could easily be expanded to all users.

"This is why we are calling on the Council to write to the Governemnt to ask them not to build more runways at Heathrow or Stanstead, and also to all Local Authorities in South Yorkshire and to Yorkshire Forward urging them to reject any request to relax the rules on night flying into and out of Doncaster Sheffield Airport".

ENDS

Motion proposed by Bernard Little

This council

1. Notes that the decision by the government to build a third runway at
Heathrow was opposed by all Conservative and Liberal Democrat Members of
Parliament;

2. Notes that the report "Plane Truths: Do the economic arguments for
aviation really fly?" published by the World Development Movement and the
New Economics Foundation in September 2008 says that:

a) People on low incomes, who make up 32 per cent of the UK population,
account for less than 8 per cent of passengers on low-cost flights from the
UK;

b) The benefits of airline tourism to indigenous communities are minimal
because for every £1 spent, 75p goes straight to multinational hotel chains
and tour operators;

c) In 2007 the aviation industry cost UK taxpayers £10.4 billion through tax
exemptions;

3. Notes that aviation is the fastest rising source of CO2 emissions in the
UK;

4. Notes that the government has adopted a target of 80% reduction of 1990
levels of CO2 emissions by 2050 and that expanding aviation will make it
impossible to meet this target;

5. Further notes that owners of Doncaster Sheffield Airport have submitted a
Consultative Document to Doncaster Council with the aim of relaxing the noise
rules for night flying, and that although this relaxation is in relation to
freight aircraft it could easily be expanded to all users;

6. Will therefore write to Secretary of State for Transport and the
Secretary of State for the Environment asking them to reverse the decision
to build a third runway at Heathrow and to halt plans for a second runway at
Stanstead;

7. Will also write to all Local Authorities in South Yorkshire and to
Yorkshire Forward urging them to reject any request to relax the rules on
night flying into and out of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

ENDS